St. Francisville, Illinois

St. Francisville, Illinois
City
Main Street
Location in Lawrence County, Illinois
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 38°35′31″N87°38′51″W / 38.59194°N 87.64750°W / 38.59194; -87.64750 Coordinates: 38°35′31″N87°38′51″W / 38.59194°N 87.64750°W / 38.59194; -87.64750 [1]
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Lawrence
Township	Denison
Area [2]
• Total	0.78 sq mi (2.02 km2)
• Land	0.74 sq mi (1.93 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2)
Elevation [1]	459 ft (140 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	568
• Density	762.42/sq mi (294.39/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62460
Area code	618
FIPS code	17-66833
GNIS feature ID	2396489 [1]
Wikimedia Commons	St. Francisville, Illinois

St. Francisville or Saint Francisville ^[1] is a city in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States. The population was 697 at the 2010 census. ^[3]

History

St. Francisville is rooted in a stockade built by Joseph Tougas in the early 1810s. The city was platted by Tougas's widow in the mid-1830s. It was named for St. Francis Xavier, reflecting the growing influence of Jesuit missionaries in the area. The city incorporated in 1873. ^[4]

Geography

St. Francisville is located in southeastern Lawrence County in the southeast corner of Denison Township. It is on the west bank of the Wabash River, which forms the state border with Indiana.

The city is 12 miles (19 km) south of Lawrenceville, the county seat. The Wabash Cannon Ball Bridge, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of St. Francisville, is a former railroad bridge that is now a one-lane toll bridge over the Wabash River which provides the most direct route to Vincennes, Indiana, 9 miles (14 km) to the northeast.

According to the 2010 census, St. Francisville has a total area of 0.784 square miles (2.03 km²), of which 0.75 square miles (1.94 km²) (or 95.66%) is land and 0.034 square miles (0.09 km²) (or 4.34%) is water. ^[5]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	106		—
1870	131		23.6%
1880	334		155.0%
1890	432		29.3%
1900	591		36.8%
1910	1,391		135.4%
1920	1,164		−16.3%
1930	1,202		3.3%
1940	1,145		−4.7%
1950	1,117		−2.4%
1960	1,040		−6.9%
1970	997		−4.1%
1980	1,040		4.3%
1990	851		−18.2%
2000	759		−10.8%
2010	697		−8.2%
2020	568		−18.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

As of the census ^[7] of 2000, there were 759 people, 317 households, and 221 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,017.3 inhabitants per square mile (392.8/km²). There were 348 housing units at an average density of 466.4 per square mile (180.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.21% White, 0.13% African American, and 0.66% from two or more races.

There were 317 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,543, and the median income for a family was $29,688. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $15,938 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,955. About 19.7% of families and 21.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.4% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

As of the census of 2010 the population of St. Francisville was 697. ^[8]

Economy

St. Francisville is noted for a locally grown variety of popcorn, trademarked as "Black Jewell" for the color of the corn kernels. The popcorn packer attributes the varietal snack food to development work in the "mid 1960s." ^[9]

Notable person

• Julian Morgenstern (1881–1976), rabbi, professor, and president of Hebrew Union College, born in St. Francisville
• William Phipps, retired actor and film producer, moved to St. Francisville when he was six, and grew up there.

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: St. Francisville, Illinois
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
3. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (DP-1), St. Francisville city, Illinois". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 9, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. Edward Callary, Place Names of Illinois (University of Illinois Press, 2010), p. 333.
5. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2008-01-31.
8. "2010 US Census Data". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
9. "Black Jewell: American Grown/American Owned". Black Jewell Popcorn Inc. Retrieved 2012-08-24.