Sumner is a city in Lawrence County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 3,174 at the 2010 census, with approximately 2,000 of that population being inmates at the Lawrence Correctional Center.

History

Sumner was established as a stop along the

Ohio and Mississippi Railway The Ohio and Mississippi Railway (earlier the Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road), abbreviated O&M, was a railroad operating between Cincinnati, Ohio, and East St. Louis, Illinois, from 1857 to 1893. The railroad started in 1854 and paralleled the ...

in the early 1850s. Initially known as "Black Jack" when a post office was opened in 1852, the city was renamed for Benjamin Sumner, an early settler, in 1855. Sumner incorporated in 1887.

Geography

Sumner lies along Illinois State Route 250, just south of its junction with

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

to the north. Red Hills State Park is located just to the northeast. According to the 2010 census, Sumner has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,022 people, 369 households, and 238 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 425 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.16%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.96%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.49% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population. There were 369 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,489, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $23,068 versus $21,999 for females"American Fact Finder"—although Lawrence County ranks as one of the worst in the country for men of prime working age, 25–54, who are willing to work, according to a New York Times study, which shows 84 percent of that gender and age group not in the workforce. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $14,808. About 13.5% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.2% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over. Sumner is sometimes reported as the American town with the highest male-to-female ratio. Males represent about 90 percent of the population when the figures include the Lawrence Correctional Center.

In the arts

In 2011–2013, the " found footage"

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

'' Unlisted Owner'' was filmed in and around Sumner by Jed Brian's production company Lawford County Productions. The film received a distribution agreement from Tom Cat Films in October 2016.

Notable people

* Lee Martin, author of several books, most notably ''The Bright Forever''. *

Lester Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name. People Given name * Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic * Lester Oliver Bankhead (1912–1997), American architect * Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from ...

and

Walter Melrose Walter Melrose (October 26, 1889 – May 30, 1973) was an American music publisher and lyricist in the 1920s and 1930s. Background He was born in Sumner, Illinois, and was the brother of Lester Melrose, with whom he established a music store in ...

, music producers, born in Sumner

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities in Lawrence County, Illinois Cities in Illinois 1887 establishments in Illinois