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Cambridge, Illinois

Coordinates:41°18′12″N90°11′36″W/ 41.30333°N 90.19333°W/41.30333; -90.19333
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cambridge
Village
Henry County Courthouse
Henry County Courthouse
Location of Cambridge in Henry County, Illinois.
Location of Cambridge in Henry County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates:41°18′12″N90°11′36″W/ 41.30333°N 90.19333°W/41.30333; -90.19333
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyHenry
TownshipCambridge
Government
• TypeVillage Board
• Village PresidentJason Gustafson
Area
[1]
• Total2.00 sq mi (5.19 km2)
• Land1.99 sq mi (5.16 km2)
• Water0.01 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Population
(2020)
• Total2,086
• Density1,047.71/sq mi (404.43/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6(CST)
• Summer (DST)UTC-5(CDT)
ZIP Code
61238
Area code309
FIPS code17-10643
Wikimedia CommonsCambridge, Illinois
Websitewww.cambridgeil.org

Cambridgeis a village and thecounty seatofHenry County,Illinois,United States.The population was 2,160 at the 2010 census, down from 2,180 in 2000.[2]

History[edit]

Before 1843, the land where Cambridge is currently located was the private property of a man named Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury, who was very well known amongst theYankeesettlers (migrants fromNew Englandandupstate New Yorkwho were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s) who were moving toHenry Countyin large numbers at that time. Reverend Pillsbury deeded a large portion of his land to the town council and they immediately agreed it was a good place to lay out a town. Lots were sold to incoming migrants and on June 9, 1843 (after some quarreling among the town founders about how to finance it) construction began on the town. Roads were laid out, post routes established, public buildings erected and people were invited to move there. The original settlers were almost entirely ofNew Englandorigins or wereYankeesfromupstate New Yorkwhose families had moved to that place fromNew Englandonly one generation earlier, in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. This resulted inHenry Countybeing culturally very contiguous with earlyNew Englandculture.[3][4]

Geography[edit]

According to the 2010 census, Cambridge has a total area of 2.154 square miles (5.58 km2), of which 2.14 square miles (5.54 km2) (or 99.35%) is land and 0.014 square miles (0.04 km2) (or 0.65%) is water.[5]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,203—
1890940−21.9%
19001,34543.1%
19101,272−5.4%
19201,3355.0%
19301,3551.5%
19401,312−3.2%
19501,48913.5%
19601,66511.8%
19702,09525.8%
19802,2175.8%
19902,124−4.2%
20002,1802.6%
20102,160−0.9%
20202,086−3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

At the2000 censusthere were 2,180 people, 856 households, and 595 families in the village. The population density was 1,540.2 inhabitants per square mile (594.7/km2). There were 896 housing units at an average density of 633.0 per square mile (244.4/km2). Theracial makeupof the village was 98.17% White, 0.78% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46%.[7]

Of the 856 households 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.2% of households were one person and 14.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.95.

The age distribution was 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.

The median household income was $38,636 and the median family income was $46,786. Males had a median income of $31,442 versus $20,129 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,842. About 8.1% of families and 10.3% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over. 2010 Census According to the2020 census,the population was 2,086. Of this, 2,077 (96.16%) were White, 35 (1.62%) were black or African American, 26 (1.20%) were two or more races, 13 (0.60%) were Asian, 7 (0.32) were American Indian or Alaska Native, 2 (0.09%) were some other race. 45 (2.08%) were Hispanic or Latino (of any race)[8]

Court House[edit]

As the county seat of Henry County, Illinois, Cambridge hosts the county government. The Henry County Court House, designed byThomas J. Tolan & Son, Architects,ofFort Wayne, Indiana(1875–1878), is the key architectural landmark of the village. The courthouse was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesin 2004.

Schools[edit]

Cambridge has a single school district, School District #227, which includes a single elementary school, junior high (attached to the high school), and high school.[9]The high school graduates around 50-60 students annually. Like many small towns, the cultural life of the community revolves around the arts and sports related to the school. The elementary school was selected as a 2006Blue Ribbon School,part of theNo Child Left Behind Act.It was one of only 18 selected in Illinois.[10]

Links to Bishop Hill[edit]

Historically, Cambridge has been linked to nearbyBishop Hill, Illinois.Bishop Hill was founded in 1846 by a sect ofSwedishimmigrants led by their prophet,Erik Janson.For several years, local Americans and their Swedish neighbors traded and lived in peace. In 1850, Erik Janson was murdered by a former follower in the court house in Cambridge. The historic record reveals some tension between the Swedes in Bishop Hill and the residents of Cambridge. Additionally, the influx of Swedish immigrants attracted additional immigrants from Sweden to the Henry County area. As the population grew, they called for religious leadership from theLutheranChurch of Sweden,an official branch of the Swedish government.

Before they fled from Sweden, Erik Janson and his followers had a contentious break from the Lutheran Church. The Cambridge Lutheran church was established as an offshoot ofLars Paul Esbjörn's Augustana Lutheran Church in nearbyAndover, Illinois.This religious-related tension would remain between the Augustana Lutherans (including Augustana College inRock Island, Illinois) and the people of Bishop Hill well into the late 20th century. For more information on Cambridge's relationship with Bishop Hill see Troy Swanson's "Those Crazy Swedes: Outside Influence on the Bishop Hill Colony" inNobler things to View: Collected Essays on the Erik-Janssonistspublished by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association in 1998.

Notable people[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMarch 15,2022.
  2. ^"Find a County".National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2011.RetrievedJune 7,2011.
  3. ^History Henry County, Illinois.H.F. Kett & Company. 1877. pp. 177–178.
  4. ^The expansion of New England: the spread of New England settlement and institutions to the Mississippi River, 1620-1865 by Louis Kimball Matthews page 215-216
  5. ^"G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1".United States Census Bureau.Archived fromthe originalon February 13, 2020.RetrievedAugust 2,2015.
  6. ^"Census of Population and Housing".Census.gov.RetrievedJune 4,2015.
  7. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
  8. ^"2010 Census Population of Cambridge,IL".censusviewer.Archived fromthe originalon July 1, 2016.
  9. ^Village of Cambridge.SchoolsArchivedJuly 25, 2011, at theWayback Machine.Accessed February 22, 2007.
  10. ^United States Department of Education.2006 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools.Accessed February 22, 2007.

External links[edit]

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