Mound City, Illinois

Mound City
City
Pulaski County Courthouse
Location of Mound City in Pulaski County, Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 37°5′8″N89°9′47″W / 37.08556°N 89.16306°W / 37.08556; -89.16306
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Pulaski
Government
• Mayor	Allison Madison
Area [1]
• Total	0.74 sq mi (1.91 km2)
• Land	0.68 sq mi (1.75 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation [2]	322 ft (98 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	526
• Density	779.26/sq mi (300.75/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62963
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-50751
GNIS feature ID	2395112 [2]
Wikimedia Commons	Mound City, Illinois

Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588. ^{[3] [4]}

History

Mound City was incorporated in 1857 as a union of two cities: Mound City, founded by Major General Moses Marshal Rawlings, and Emporium City, a project of the Emporium Real Estate and Manufacturing Company, a group of Cincinnati and Cairo businessmen. The city took its name from a Native American mound on which guests at General Rawlings' hotel would sleep in summer, as the breezes cooled them and dispersed the mosquitoes. ^[5]

During the Civil War, Admiral Andrew Hull Foote made Cairo the naval station for the Mississippi River Squadron of over 200 ironclads, timberclads, hospital ships, transports, and other vessels. Since Cairo had no land available for base facilities, the navy yard repair shop machinery was afloat aboard wharf-boats, old steamers, tugs, flat-boats, and rafts. The naval station was moved upstream in 1862 when 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land was purchased in Mound City. The Mound City Naval Station included a shipyard with marine ways, a foundry, marine barracks, supply offices, and a hospital; ^[6] but many repair facilities remained afloat because the Mound City land was frequently inundated by flood waters. ^[7]

USS Cairo was built in 1861 by James Eads and Co. of Mound City, under contract to the War Department. She was commissioned in January 1862 as part of the Mississippi River Squadron, U.S. Navy Lieutenant James M. Prichett in command. She was a City-class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was the lead ship of the City-class gunboats, sometimes also called the Cairo class, and was named for Cairo, Illinois. On December 12, 1862 just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the USS Cairo became the first ship sunk by electrically detonated torpedoes during its mission to destroy Confederate batteries and clear the Yazoo River of underwater mines. ^[8]

In 2017, Mound City elected Allison Madison, the city's first African-American and first female mayor. ^[9]

Geography

Mound City is located at 37°5′8″N89°9′47″W / 37.08556°N 89.16306°W / 37.08556; -89.16306 (37.085624, -89.163054). ^[10]

According to the 2010 census, Mound City has a total area of 0.729 square miles (1.89 km²), of which 0.67 square miles (1.74 km²) (or 91.91%) is land and 0.059 square miles (0.15 km²) (or 8.09%) is water. ^[11]

The majority of the Native American mounds for which the city was named have been destroyed by development and farming. ^[12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	898		—
1870	1,631		81.6%
1900	2,705		—
1910	2,837		4.9%
1920	2,756		−2.9%
1930	2,548		−7.5%
1940	2,465		−3.3%
1950	2,167		−12.1%
1960	1,669		−23.0%
1970	1,177		−29.5%
1980	1,102		−6.4%
1990	765		−30.6%
2000	692		−9.5%
2010	588		−15.0%
2020	526		−10.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [13]

2020 census

Mound City city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010 [14]	Pop 2020 [15]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	256	193	43.54%	36.69%
Black or African American alone (NH)	314	295	53.40%	56.08%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	1	2	0.17%	0.38%
Asian alone (NH)	1	0	0.17%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	2	6	0.34%	1.14%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	5	26	0.85%	4.94%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	9	4	1.53%	0.76%
Total	588	526	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the census ^[16] of 2010, there were 588 people and 270 households. The racial makeup of the city was 44.39% White, 53.4% African American, a single Asian, three individuals from other races, and eight individuals from two or more races. There were nine people who were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census ^[16] of 2000, there were 692 people, 279 households, and 178 families residing in the city. The population density was 973.5 inhabitants per square mile (375.9/km²). There were 319 housing units at an average density of 448.8 per square mile (173.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.57% White, 49.57% African American, 0.14% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 279 households, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.5% were married couples living together, 30.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $16,607, and the median income for a family was $22,143. Males had a median income of $35,469 versus $15,583 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,020. About 35.5% of families and 39.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.5% of those under age 18 and 26.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Charlie Hoover, catcher for the Kansas City Cowboys
• Katherine D. Tillman, writer

National Register of Historic Places

• Mound City Civil War Naval Hospital
• Mound City National Cemetery

See also

• List of cities and towns along the Ohio River
• Twin Mounds Site

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mound City, Illinois
3. "2010 Demographic Profile". Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. History of Alexander, Union, and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, William H. Perrin, 1883
6. Wagner, M.J. "Mound City Naval Base". Southern Illinois University . Retrieved June 7, 2019.
7. Miller, Francis Trevelyan (1957). The Photographic History of The Civil War. Vol. Six: The Navies. New York: Castle Books. pp. 213–215.
8. "USS Cairo". Civil War Virtual Museum. Springfield-Greene County Library. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
9. Henderson, Derrion (April 6, 2017). "Mound City, IL elects first African American, female mayor". KFVS .
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
11. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
12. CCNet ESSAY, University of Georgia Library
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mound City city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
15. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Mound City city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau .
16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.