Watseka is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Iroquois 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. It is located approximately west of the Illinois-Indiana state line on

U.S. Route 24 U.S. Route 24 or U.S. Highway 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States Numbered Highways of 1926 which runs east and west for most of its routing. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Misso ...

. The population of Watseka was 4,679 as of the 2020 Census.

History

Incorporated in 1865, the name " Watseka" derives from the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

name "Watch-e-kee", "Daughter of the Evening Star", the wife of early eastern Illinois settler

Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard (August 22, 1802 – September 14, 1886) was an American fur trader, insurance underwriter, and land speculator. He was influential in the development of the city of Chicago and responsible for its growth during the 19 ...

. The Old Iroquois County Courthouse was constructed in 1866, with two additions built in 1881 and 1927. In the early 1960s, an Iroquois County resident, Mrs. Katherine Clifton, bequeathed to the county in her will a large sum of money and a site upon which to build a new courthouse. It is the only courthouse in the United States built entirely with private funds. The old courthouse was advertised for sale and fell into disuse. In 1967, during the Centennial Celebration of Watseka, the Iroquois County Historical Society was organized, and circulated petitions throughout the county not to sell the Old Courthouse. The petitions were approved by the County Board of Supervisors, and the Old Courthouse re-opened as a museum that same year. In 1975, the Old Courthouse was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Geography

Watseka is located near the center of Iroquois County, at the intersection of

and

Illinois Route 1 Illinois Route 1 (IL 1) is a state highway (US), state highway in the U.S. state of Illinois. Running parallel to the Indiana border, the highway starts at the Cave-In-Rock Ferry, free ferry crossing to Kentucky at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, ...

. The Iroquois River winds along the north side of the town and is joined by Sugar Creek on the west side of town. The south half of the town is in Belmont Township; the north half is in Middleport Township. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Watseka has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 4,679 people, 2,384 households, and 1,284 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,444 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.73%

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 ...

, 1.65%

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 ...

, 0.38% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.44% from other races, and 8.12% 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 7.91% of the population. There were 2,384 households, out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.39% were married couples living together, 17.53% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.14% were non-families. 36.33% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.83% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.01. The city's age distribution consisted of 17.2% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $38,162, and the median income for a family was $58,641. Males had a median income of $30,449 versus $25,827 for females. 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 $24,915. About 6.7% of families and 12.9% 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 13.9% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Fern Andra Fern Andra, Dowager Baroness von Weichs (born Vernal Edna Andrews, November 24, 1893 – February 8, 1974) was an American actress, film director, script writer, and producer. Next to Henny Porten and Asta Nielsen, she was one of the most popu ...

(1893–1974; birth name Vernal Andrews), circus performer, actress, early film director *

Henry Bacon Henry Bacon (November 28, 1866February 16, 1924) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who oversaw the engineering and design of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., built between 1915 and 1922, which was his final project before his 1924 ...

(1866–1924), architect of

Lincoln Memorial The Lincoln Memorial is a List of national memorials of the United States, U.S. national memorial honoring Abraham Lincoln, the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, located on the western end of the Nati ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and other notable public buildings *

Fred Bechly Fred Lorin Bechly (May 8, 1924 – October 31, 2004) was an American electrical engineer and inventor in the field of color television broadcasting. Early life Fred Bechly was born in Watseka, Illinois, to Edward Bechly and Ferne Smiley. He ...

(1924–2004), electrical engineer and inventor in the field of color television broadcasting * Edward Bechly (1874–1945), editor, publisher, and proprietor of ''Iroquois County Times-Democrat'' *

Craig Calhoun Craig Jackson Calhoun (born 1952) is an American sociologist and social theorist known for his work in critical social theory, public sociology, and the study of social change. His scholarship has focused on how social movements, democracy, nati ...

(1952–), economist and educator, Director of

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

(2012–2016); President of

Berggruen Institute The Berggruen Institute is a Los Angeles-based think tank founded by Nicolas Berggruen. History Berggruen Institute was formed in 2010 by founder Nicolas Berggruen and co-founder Nathan Gardels as a global network of "thinkers" dedicated to ...

(2016–) * Sam Campbell (1895–1962), popular author and nature enthusiast *

P.C. Cast Phyllis Christine Cast (born April 30, 1960) is an American romance/fantasy author, known for the '' House of Night'' series she writes and her daughter Kristin Cast edits, as well as her own ''Goddess Summoning'' and ''Partholon'' book series.C ...

, young adult author (

House of Night ''House of Night'' is a series of young adult fiction, young adult vampire novel, vampire-themed fantasy novels by American author P. C. Cast and her daughter Kristin Cast. It follows the adventures of Zoey Redbird, a 16-year-old girl who is "ma ...

series) *

Frank M. Crangle Frank M. Crangle (January 3, 1861 – January 29, 1934) was an American lawyer and politician. Crangle was born in Grundy County, Illinois. He went to the public schools and to Grand Prairie Seminary in Onarga, Illinois. He then taught school and ...

(1861–1934), Illinois state representative and lawyer *

Rex Everhart Rex Everhart (June 13, 1920 – March 13, 2000) was an American film and theatre actor. Everhart appeared in such films as ''Superman'', in 1978. He was also known for his role as Enos the Truck-Driver in the horror film, '' Friday the 13th' ...

(1920–2000), musical theatre and voice actor ( ''Beauty and The Beast'') * Mike L. Fry, original Happy the Hobo on the nationally syndicated children's television series Happy's Place * A.E. Henning, City Council member of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

(1929–1933) * Curtis Painter (born 1985), NFL quarterback 2009–2014; played collegiate football at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

; formerly a starter for

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

* Harold Reetz (born 1948), agronomist and former President of the Foundation for Agronomic Research. *

Sam Rice Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice (February 20, 1890 – October 13, 1974) was an American pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. Although Rice made his debut as a relief pitcher, he is best known as an outfielder. Playing for the Washington Sen ...

, Hall of Fame baseball outfielder,

1924 World Series The 1924 World Series was the World Series, championship series of the 1924 Major League Baseball season. A best-of-seven playoff, the series was played between the American League (AL) pennant winner 1924 Washington Senators season, Washington ...

champion *

Vaughn Walker Vaughn Richard Walker (born 1944) is an American lawyer who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California from 1989 to 2011. Walker presided over the original trial in '' Ho ...

(born 1944), chief judge of

United States District Court for the Northern District of California The United States District Court for the Northern District of California (in case citations, N.D. Cal.) is the federal United States district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, De ...

, noted for presiding over ''

Perry v. Schwarzenegger Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Australi ...

'' *

Mary Margaret Whipple Mary Margaret Whipple (born May 26, 1940) is a former Democratic member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 31st district from 1996 - 2012. Political career She was the Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and she was the first wo ...

(born 1940), former Virginia state senator *

Gordie Windhorn Gordon Ray Windhorn (December 19, 1933 – May 21, 2022) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 95 games played over parts of three seasons (, and ) in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the New York Yankees, Los A ...

(born 1933), former Major League Baseball player

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Iroquois County, Illinois Cities in Illinois County seats in Illinois Populated places established in 1865