Marissa, Illinois

Marissa
Village
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Location of Marissa in St. Clair County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 38°14′46″N89°45′10″W / 38.24611°N 89.75278°W / 38.24611; -89.75278
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	St. Clair
Government
• Mayor	Chad Easton
• Village Board	Jeremy Embrich, Laura McMahon, Janet Wiley, Chris Klingeman, Dustin Bingel, Roy Dean Dickey
Area [1]
• Total	7.94 sq mi (20.57 km2)
• Land	7.21 sq mi (18.68 km2)
• Water	0.73 sq mi (1.88 km2)
Elevation [2]	413 ft (126 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,833
• Density	254.09/sq mi (98.10/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62257
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-46955
GNIS feature ID	2399258 [2]
Wikimedia Commons	Marissa, Illinois
Website	www.villageofmarissa.com

Marissa is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,979 at the 2010 census.

History

Before 1700, the Marissa area was inhabited by various Native American tribes. Among them were Kaskaskias, Peorias, Cahokias, Iroquois, and Michiganies. However, the most prevalent in the immediate area were probably the Tamaroas. It is known that just south of Marissa Cemetery, on a hill at 321 Doza Creek Road, a settlement existed as many artifacts have been recovered over the years. Also, there are still the remains of a trail that was used by the tribes as they traveled east and west. Evidence of this can still be seen just north of the dwelling at 132 Doza Creek Road. The three feet deep trench running through the woods was worn by foot and horse traffic, some pulling two pole skids carrying possessions. During the early 1700s, settlers first made their appearance in the region. French hunters and trappers ventured into the area in quest of its plentiful game. One of the first was Elexe Doza, who gave his last name to a creek that lies just south of the village.

The first settlers came to the area around 1805. John Lively had moved his family here from South Carolina and built a log cabin about two miles east of Marissa near Risdon School Road. A second family moved into the area four years later and they too were followed by others. The encroachment of the Indians’ land had begun and, as could be expected, conflicts began to surface. Because of the hostilities, small wooden forts were built by the settlers that afforded them a place to retreat when threats of attack loomed. One of these was constructed on Doza Creek about a ¼ mile north of where it is crossed by the Risdon School Road. Crumbling remains of the fort were reportedly still in existence in the early 1960s, but were destroyed by strip mining. A steady stream of settlers continued, and in 1818, Illinois was granted statehood. The first elementary school opened in the area in 1831.

Starting in the late 1800s and continuing to the present day, one of the largest local industries has been the mining of steam coal. Currently most of the coal mined here is burned to generate electricity.

Geography

Marissa is located at 38°14′46″N89°45′10″W / 38.24611°N 89.75278°W / 38.24611; -89.75278 (38.246011, -89.752899). ^[3]

According to the 2010 census, Marissa has a total area of 3.523 square miles (9.12 km²), of which 3.35 square miles (8.68 km²) (or 95.09%) is land and 0.173 square miles (0.45 km²) (or 4.91%) is water. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	876		—
1900	1,086		24.0%
1910	2,004		84.5%
1920	1,900		−5.2%
1930	1,630		−14.2%
1940	1,657		1.7%
1950	1,652		−0.3%
1960	1,722		4.2%
1970	2,004		16.4%
1980	2,568		28.1%
1990	2,375		−7.5%
2000	2,141		−9.9%
2010	1,979		−7.6%
2020	1,833		−7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

Marissa is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,979 at the 2010 census. ^[6]

Traditions

The Marissa Coal Festival is held each year on the second weekend of August. The activities begin Friday evening and run through Sunday night with the crowning of the Festival queen. Sunday afternoon also features a parade that begins at 4:00 pm.

The "Toast of Marissa" is an annual wine tasting event that occurs in November and is sponsored by the Marissa Chamber of Commerce and participating Wineries. Included in the activities is a 5k Grape Stomp Run, a Grape Stomp contest, and a Cookie bake-off.

Notable people

• Warren Hacker, pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Redlegs, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox
• Robert S. Hamilton (1865-1940), Illinois state senator and lawyer
• Bob Heil (October 5, 1940) sounds and radio engineer most well known for creating the template for modern rock sound systems.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Marissa, Illinois
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "Marissa, IL Population and Races - USA.com™". www.usa.com.