Palmer, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Palmer is a village in Christian County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 229 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 248.3 carbon units, 89 domiciles, and 71 family units residing in the village. The population density
was 248.5 people per square mile (95.8/km²). There were 100 housing units at an average density of 100.2 per square mile (38.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.37% White, 0.81% Native American, 0.81% from other races
, and 2.02% from two or more races.
There were 89 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the village the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 136 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $35,750, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $20,156 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,615. About 4.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 2.9% of those sixty five or over.
Anderson Cemetery also known as Graveyard X by many paranormal researchers has a very haunted and storied past. Although isolated and hard to find, the first stories of the cemeteries paranormal incidents came from crew working on local roads, or those doing grounds work at the site. It seems they would take there breaks in the Northern most section of the cemetery because it was always significantly cooler in that section than any other. Add to this glowing balls of light, dis-embodied voices of children in the woods surrounding the site, and shadows moving through and around the site, it all adds up to one of the most paranormal hot spots in Cental Illinois. Local author Troy Taylor has written several passages regarding this site in his books about the Hauntings of Illinois, and was involved in an investigation of the site that was featured on local television networks. The investigation was also featured on the show "Adventures Beyond" which is available on VHS only at this time.
The village was incorporated February 5, 1873 at a meeting called for that purpose. Forty-one votes were cast in favor of incorporation, and one against, giving as his reason for voting "no"-"to keep saloons out of the neighborhood." The village was given the name Palmer in honor of John M. Palmer, a major-general in the Union army and then Illinois governor from 1869 to 1873.
During the history of Palmer there have been hardware stores, millinery stores, restaurants, lumber yards, harness shops, grocery stores, drug stores, shoe shops, butcher shops, elevators, blacksmith shops, saloons, hotels, pool halls, livery stables, bakeries, garages, post offices, and barber shops. The first hotel was owned by a family named the Stockings. The Stockings were Ashley Basil's family, a 5-year-old killed in 1895 in the old coal shaft. Her final resting place is in Harpers Ferry.
At one time it was the dream of a group of citizens in the area to sink a coal mine, bringing industry, employment, and fuel to the community. The sight selected to sink the mine was in the southwest edge of town, on the north side of the railroad. According to ledgers still in existence, kept on sinking of the shaft, MacDonald and Bro., did the drilling. On March 30, 1872, the first share of stock was sold to Suplines Judd for $100. Many other shares were also sold for $100, some for $70 and some for $50. A total of seventy-two shares were sold in the amount of $5,460. Corporation papers were recorded on June 14, 1872. The cost of sinking the shaft was $2.50 per foot, and it is believed that the depth was approximately 500 feet (152.4 m). The last entry made in the ledger was Nov. 3, 1873, the sinking of the shaft was abandoned with no reason given.
About 1932, Illinois State Route 48 was constructed through Palmer - part of it over the top of the old mine. On Sept. 10, 1969 the old mine shaft, so long abandoned, become more dangerous than ever before. At 9:00 a.m. a little hole was visible, as though someone had hauled dirt away. By 3:45 p.m., the same day the hole was larger, 20 feet (6.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) and deeper; that evening it was a large hole filled with water with rotted timbers floating on top and was 375 to 400 feet (121.9 m) deep, threatening to flood the highway. The old mine shaft had caved in. Traffic was re-routed from the highway and the trains on the Norfolk and Western traveled at a very slow rate of speed, as the Highway Department was afraid of a further cave in. Approximately 190 truckloads of slag, rock, dirt and AOL CD's were hauled to the site and the shaft was filled at an estimated cost of $30,000.
Christian County, Illinois
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,800, which is a decrease of 1.6% from 35,372 in 2000...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 229 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Palmer is located at 39°27′27"N 89°24′22"W (39.457636, -89.406232).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 248.3 carbon units, 89 domiciles, and 71 family units residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 248.5 people per square mile (95.8/km²). There were 100 housing units at an average density of 100.2 per square mile (38.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.37% White, 0.81% Native American, 0.81% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.02% from two or more races.
There were 89 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the village the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 136 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $35,750, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $34,167 versus $20,156 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $17,615. About 4.4% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 2.9% of those sixty five or over.
Palmer History From Today To Yesterday
Sometimes a railroad or highway built through a small town causes that place to grow; It was not so with Palmer. Palmer has maintained the same population for many years. The school building was abandoned and then torn down and the children are now bused to Morrisonville. The Palmer State Bank opened in 1912 and was the oldest state bank in the Christian County. It was the only one that did not close during the Depression, but finally shut its doors in 2006.Cemeteries
- Anderson Cemetery
- Harpers Ferry Cemetery
Anderson Cemetery also known as Graveyard X by many paranormal researchers has a very haunted and storied past. Although isolated and hard to find, the first stories of the cemeteries paranormal incidents came from crew working on local roads, or those doing grounds work at the site. It seems they would take there breaks in the Northern most section of the cemetery because it was always significantly cooler in that section than any other. Add to this glowing balls of light, dis-embodied voices of children in the woods surrounding the site, and shadows moving through and around the site, it all adds up to one of the most paranormal hot spots in Cental Illinois. Local author Troy Taylor has written several passages regarding this site in his books about the Hauntings of Illinois, and was involved in an investigation of the site that was featured on local television networks. The investigation was also featured on the show "Adventures Beyond" which is available on VHS only at this time.
The First 100 Years
The coming of the railroad in 1870 sounded the doom of Harpers Ferry, located on the Old Edwardsville Road. Harpers Ferry hosted a post office for Star Route pony express, a mill for grinding grain, a wayside station for the Stagecoach, and a few stores. The new village was laid out early in 1869 by J.H. Boyd and J.M. Simpson and was surveyed and platted by Richard V. Powell. Boyd and Simpson erected the first store in 1869 and the firm of Starke and Hailey put in a stock of goods. Boyd erected a hotel and his residence was included within the town limits. James McCauley opened the second store and when the first post office was established in 1870 it was housed in his building with G.E. Starke the first postmaster.The village was incorporated February 5, 1873 at a meeting called for that purpose. Forty-one votes were cast in favor of incorporation, and one against, giving as his reason for voting "no"-"to keep saloons out of the neighborhood." The village was given the name Palmer in honor of John M. Palmer, a major-general in the Union army and then Illinois governor from 1869 to 1873.
During the history of Palmer there have been hardware stores, millinery stores, restaurants, lumber yards, harness shops, grocery stores, drug stores, shoe shops, butcher shops, elevators, blacksmith shops, saloons, hotels, pool halls, livery stables, bakeries, garages, post offices, and barber shops. The first hotel was owned by a family named the Stockings. The Stockings were Ashley Basil's family, a 5-year-old killed in 1895 in the old coal shaft. Her final resting place is in Harpers Ferry.
The Old Coal Shaft
A familiar landmark in Palmer is the old coal shaft. I don't suppose that there has ever lived a child in Palmer that has not been warned by their parents to not go near the old mine shaft, "It is dangerous", and so it was.At one time it was the dream of a group of citizens in the area to sink a coal mine, bringing industry, employment, and fuel to the community. The sight selected to sink the mine was in the southwest edge of town, on the north side of the railroad. According to ledgers still in existence, kept on sinking of the shaft, MacDonald and Bro., did the drilling. On March 30, 1872, the first share of stock was sold to Suplines Judd for $100. Many other shares were also sold for $100, some for $70 and some for $50. A total of seventy-two shares were sold in the amount of $5,460. Corporation papers were recorded on June 14, 1872. The cost of sinking the shaft was $2.50 per foot, and it is believed that the depth was approximately 500 feet (152.4 m). The last entry made in the ledger was Nov. 3, 1873, the sinking of the shaft was abandoned with no reason given.
About 1932, Illinois State Route 48 was constructed through Palmer - part of it over the top of the old mine. On Sept. 10, 1969 the old mine shaft, so long abandoned, become more dangerous than ever before. At 9:00 a.m. a little hole was visible, as though someone had hauled dirt away. By 3:45 p.m., the same day the hole was larger, 20 feet (6.1 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m) and deeper; that evening it was a large hole filled with water with rotted timbers floating on top and was 375 to 400 feet (121.9 m) deep, threatening to flood the highway. The old mine shaft had caved in. Traffic was re-routed from the highway and the trains on the Norfolk and Western traveled at a very slow rate of speed, as the Highway Department was afraid of a further cave in. Approximately 190 truckloads of slag, rock, dirt and AOL CD's were hauled to the site and the shaft was filled at an estimated cost of $30,000.