Vandalia, Illinois

Vandalia
City
Motto:  "Oldest Existing Illinois Capital City"
Location of Vandalia in Fayette County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 38°58′31″N89°06′42″W / 38.97528°N 89.11167°W / 38.97528; -89.11167 [1]
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Fayette
Townships	Vandalia, Bear Grove, Sharon
Founded	1819
Government
• Mayor	Ricky J. Gottman
Area [2]
• Total	8.16 sq mi (21.14 km2)
• Land	8.15 sq mi (21.10 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Elevation [1]	518 ft (158 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,458
• Density	915.43/sq mi (353.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	62471
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-77317
GNIS feature ID	2397119 [1]
Website	vandaliaillinois.com

Vandalia is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Illinois, United States. ^[3] At the 2020 Census, the population was 7,458. Vandalia is on the Kaskaskia River, and 60 miles (97 km) northeast of the St. Louis area. The city served as the state capital of Illinois from 1819 until 1839, when the seat of state government moved closer to the center of the state in Springfield. In the early 19th century, Vandalia was the western terminus of the National Road from the East Coast. Since 1933, the Vandalia State House State Historic Site has sought to preserve and interpret the State House building and grounds, originally constructed in 1836.

History

Madonna of the Trail statue in front of the Vandalia State House.

Vandalia was founded in 1819 as a new capital city for Illinois. ^[4] The previous capital, Kaskaskia, was unsuitable because it was under the constant threat of flooding. The townsite, located in Bond County at the time, ^{[5] : 5} was hastily prepared for the 1820 meeting of the Illinois General Assembly. ^[4] In 1821, Fayette County was created, including Vandalia. ^{[5] : 5}

The history of the name Vandalia is uncertain. Different theories can be found in almost all of the books written about Vandalia over the years. In her book Vandalia: Wilderness Capital of Lincoln's Land, Mary Burtschi tells of a conversation between one of the original surveyors of the town and a Vandalia resident. The surveyor, Colonel Greenup, explained that Van was suggested by one of the men. He recommended this as an abbreviation to the word vanguard meaning the forefront of an advancing movement. Another suggestion was made for the term dalia, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word dale which means a valley between hills. Greenup takes credit in the conversation for connecting the two terms to form the name Vandalia.

Another possible source of the name is the Vandalia colony, a failed attempt to establish a fourteenth colony in part of what is now West Virginia and Kentucky. The Vandalia colony was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, who claimed descent from the Wendish tribe of Obodrites, also called the Vandals.

Another theory put forth is that Vandalia was named by those who located the state capital in the town; according to the story, they mistakenly thought the Vandals were a brave Native American tribe, rather than of Germanic origins. ^{[6] [7]}

The law under which Vandalia was founded included a provision that the capital would not be moved for twenty years. ^[8] Even before the end of this period, the population center of the state had shifted far north of Vandalia. ^[9] In 1837, the General Assembly voted to move the capital to Springfield. ^[9]

On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Vandalia on its nationwide tour, while being returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. ^{[6] [10]}

In the early 1960s the sociologist Joseph Lyford examined the social structure of Vandalia in a book-length study that revealed the essentially corporatist nature of decision-making in the city; this work was recently revisited by the Economist newspaper. ^[11]

Education

The city has a Board of Education. ^[12] Among the public schools in the city are Jefferson Elementary School and former Central School, which was condemned in 1980. ^[12] The city's first high school was established in 1858. ^[13] Vandalia is home to the Okaw Valley Area Vocational Center, ^[14] which trains high school students in vocational trades. It also serves vocational students from nearby high schools such as those in Greenville and Mulberry Grove. The building trades class at the center each year purchases property in Vandalia, builds a house, and sells the improved property. They have sold 33 homes constructed by students. ^[15]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Vandalia has a total area of 8.116 square miles (21.02 km²), of which 8.1 square miles (20.98 km²) (or 99.8%) is land and 0.016 square miles (0.04 km²) (or 0.2%) is water. ^[16]

Vandalia is situated on Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40 (the National Road) and U.S. Route 51.

Climate

Climate data for Vandalia, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	72 (22)	77 (25)	84 (29)	89 (32)	94 (34)	104 (40)	111 (44)	106 (41)	98 (37)	97 (36)	81 (27)	72 (22)	111 (44)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	36.9 (2.7)	41.9 (5.5)	52.7 (11.5)	65.1 (18.4)	74.9 (23.8)	83.7 (28.7)	86.8 (30.4)	85.9 (29.9)	79.6 (26.4)	67.7 (19.8)	53.7 (12.1)	41.5 (5.3)	64.2 (17.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	28.8 (−1.8)	33.0 (0.6)	42.9 (6.1)	54.2 (12.3)	64.6 (18.1)	73.5 (23.1)	76.7 (24.8)	75.2 (24.0)	67.7 (19.8)	55.8 (13.2)	43.9 (6.6)	33.6 (0.9)	54.2 (12.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	20.7 (−6.3)	24.2 (−4.3)	33.2 (0.7)	43.3 (6.3)	54.2 (12.3)	63.2 (17.3)	66.6 (19.2)	64.4 (18.0)	55.8 (13.2)	44.0 (6.7)	34.1 (1.2)	25.6 (−3.6)	44.1 (6.7)
Record low °F (°C)	−22 (−30)	−19 (−28)	−9 (−23)	20 (−7)	28 (−2)	39 (4)	48 (9)	41 (5)	20 (−7)	22 (−6)	5 (−15)	−17 (−27)	−22 (−30)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.97 (75)	2.49 (63)	3.32 (84)	4.86 (123)	5.30 (135)	4.87 (124)	3.90 (99)	3.24 (82)	3.07 (78)	3.26 (83)	3.76 (96)	2.69 (68)	43.73 (1,111)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	8.9	7.2	9.5	11.0	12.4	9.9	8.0	7.4	6.8	8.2	9.2	8.3	106.8
Source: NOAA [17] [18]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	419		—
1860	1,145		173.3%
1870	1,771		54.7%
1880	2,056		16.1%
1890	2,144		4.3%
1900	2,665		24.3%
1910	2,974		11.6%
1920	3,316		11.5%
1930	4,342		30.9%
1940	5,288		21.8%
1950	5,471		3.5%
1960	5,537		1.2%
1970	5,160		−6.8%
1980	5,338		3.4%
1990	6,114		14.5%
2000	6,975		14.1%
2010	7,042		1.0%
2020	7,458		5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [19]

As of the 2020 census ^[20] there were 7,458 people, 2,253 households, and 1,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 913.63 inhabitants per square mile (352.75/km²). There were 2,629 housing units at an average density of 322.06 per square mile (124.35/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.70% White, 10.24% African American, 0.86% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.98% from other races, and 2.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.91% of the population.

There were 2,253 households, out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.21% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.65% were non-families. 39.28% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 2.25.

The city's age distribution consisted of 16.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 144.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 148.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,862, and the median income for a family was $48,454. Males had a median income of $28,600 versus $23,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,994. About 16.8% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Vandalia is governed using the mayor council system. The council consists of eight members elected from one of four wards with each ward electing two members. The mayor along with the city clerk and treasurer are elected in a citywide vote. ^[21]

Notable people

• Alfred Elisha Ames, politician and physician
• Josie Barnes, professional bowler and winner of the 2021 U.S. Women's Open
• Henry P. H. Bromwell, U.S. Representative from Illinois
• John J. Bullington, Illinois politician
• Levi Davis, Illinois Auditor and lawyer
• H. Joel Deckard, U.S. Representative from Indiana
• William Lee D. Ewing, U.S. Senator and fifth Governor of Illinois
• William M. Farmer, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
• Ferris Foreman, politician and Army colonel
• John W. Heavey, U.S. Army brigadier general, chief of the National Guard Bureau
• Miles E. Mills, Illinois politician and educator
• Frederick Remann, Illinois politician
• June Squibb, Academy Award-nominated actress

In fiction and popular culture

• The case of Frier v. City of Vandalia was a case decided by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on the issue of res judicata. The case originally involved a parking dispute in Vandalia but became a pivotal case in civil procedure. ^[22]
• Four US Navy ships have been named for Vandalia. ^[23]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vandalia, Illinois
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Vandalia, Illinois History". Vandalia, Illinois. City of Vandalia. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
5. Documentary History of Vandalia, Illinois. October 1954 – via Internet Archive.
6. Allan H. Keith, Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL Archived 2016-01-20 at the Wayback Machine . Consulted on August 15, 2007.
7. Allen, John W. (January 11, 1963). "Place Names Have Colorful History". The Southeast Missourian. p. 6. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
8. "Springfield's Long Nine". the New York Times. December 1, 1900. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
9. Power, John Carroll (1876). History of the early settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois : centennial record. Springfield, Illinois: Edwin A. Wilson & Co. p. 46. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
10. "Liberty Bell Attracts Crowd in Greenville During 1915 Stop". Greenville Advocate. July 3, 2007.
11. "The view from Vandalia: A half century on, a much-studied small city has lessons to teach". The Economist. December 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
12. Petrina, David (December 19, 1980). "Scaled-down school addition considered". Herald & Review. Vol. 101, no. 298. Decatur, Illinois: Lee Enterprises. p. A5. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Belting, Paul E. (1919). Development of the Free Public High School in Illinois to 1860. Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Journal Press. pp.  523 – via Internet Archive.
14. 2000-2001 Directory: Illinois Public Schools, Public School Districts, Other Education Units. Illinois State Board of Education. 1989. pp.  153 – via Internet Archive. Okaw Area Vocational Center
15. "BUILDING TRADES CLASS BUILDS 33RD HOME". WGEL. May 21, 2007. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
16. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
17. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
18. "Station: Vandalia, IL". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
19. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
20. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
21. "Elected Officials". City of Vandalia, IL. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
22. "Google Scholar". Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
23. "DANFS". US Navy Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved December 29, 2022.

External links

• City of Vandalia