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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Lawrence County was formed on January 16, 1821
3out of land from Crawford and Edwards Counties; it was named
4for Captain James Lawrence who was killed in action during the
5War of 1812 while commanding the frigate ship USS Chesapeake
6and who is especially remembered for giving his men the famous
7last order "Don't Give Up the Ship"; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The history of Lawrence County includes the
9George Rogers Clark march during the American Revolution
10across the land that would eventually become the county;
11Native American Shawnee Chief Tecumseh traveled through its
12forests, and future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and his
13family migrated to Illinois crossing over the Wabash River
14into Lawrence County; and
 
15    WHEREAS, On February 18, 1779, George Rogers Clark and his
16ragged band of soldiers passed through Lawrence County,
17crossing the Wabash River at St. Francisville, and conquered
18the Vincennes fort on February 25; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Settlers of French, Scottish, and Irish descent
20are said to have built quietly and with determination for the
21future in the county; historical records indicate that shortly
22after 1800, John Morris, a free Black man, traveled to

 

 

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1Lawrence County with the Samuel Allison family and became one
2of the inhabitants of Fort Allison, located at the present
3site of Russellville; other free Black people and their
4families followed, including the families of Morris, Anderson,
5Tann, Goins, Cole, Portee, Casey, Byrd, Day, Pettiford,
6Russell, Blackwell, and Jones; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In March of 1830, the Lincoln Family crossed the
8Wabash River into Illinois by ox-teamed wagons; the family
9included 21-year-old Abraham, his father Thomas, his
10step-mother Sarah Bush Lincoln, and her two daughters and
11sons-in-law; later, Abraham Lincoln would visit Lawrence
12County and the courthouse as a practicing attorney; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Lawrence County is noted for being the first
14Illinois county to hang a woman; Mrs. Elizabeth Reed of
15Crawford County was hanged on May 23, 1845 for murdering her
16husband, Leonard Reed, by arsenic poison; and
 
17    WHEREAS, The first volunteer recruits requested by
18President Abraham Lincoln for Civil War service came from
19Lawrence County; men from Lawrence County served in various
20Illinois Infantry regiments, including the 8th Regiment,
21Illinois Infantry, Company I, 36th Regiment, Company C, 61st
22Regiment, Companies H and K, 62nd Regiment, Company A, 66th
23Regiment, Company I, 70th Regiment, Company K, 91st Regiment,

 

 

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1Company F, 130th Regiment, Company I, and 154th Regiment,
2Company E; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Crude oil was discovered in Lawrence County in
4the early 1900s and created an economic boom for the area,
5including the establishment of the Indian Refining Company,
6later acquired by the Texas Company (TEXACO); the chemists at
7the Lawrenceville refinery of the Indian Refining Company
8patented the first "wax free" oil under the Havoline brand,
9which is currently the standard for all conventional motor
10oils throughout the world; and
 
11    WHEREAS, During World War II, the United States Army Air
12Corps base, George Field, was built in Lawrence County,
13located five miles east, northeast of Lawrenceville; it
14operated as part of an advanced pilot training school of
1570,000 for the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 until 1945;
16initially named Lawrence Army Flying School, the name was
17changed to honor General Harold H. George who was killed in a
18ground accident at Batchelor Field, southeast of Darwin,
19Australia, on April 29, 1942; and
 
20    WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lawrence
21County has a total area of 374 square miles, 372 square miles
22of land and 2 square miles of water; according to the 2010
23census, it had a population of 16,833; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Lawrence County includes the cities of
2Bridgeport, Lawrenceville (the county seat), St. Francisville,
3and Sumner, the village of Russellville, and the
4unincorporated communities of Billett, Birds, Chauncey,
5Helena, Petrolia, Pinkstaff, Sand Barrens, and Westport; the
6county also includes the nine townships of Allison, Bond,
7Bridgeport, Christy, Denison, Lawrence, Lukin, Petty, and
8Russell; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Lawrence County currently boasts two entries on
10the U.S. National Register of Historic Places; the first is
11The Lawrenceville County Courthouse at 1100 State Street,
12which was built in 1888–89 and was added to the Register on
13December 7, 2010; the second is the Wabash Cannonball Bridge
14at Thirteenth Street, also known as the Wooden Bridge, which
15was built in 1909 and added to the Register on April 26, 2016;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, The current major employers in Lawrence County
18include Toyota Boshoku, Kauffman Engineering, United
19Healthcare, Rucker's Candy, and Wagner-Smith Equipment
20Company; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Lawrence County is served by two school
22districts, the Lawrenceville High School District and the Red

 

 

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1Hill High School District; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The local Lawrenceville High School basketball
3team, known as the Indians, has provided a rich successful
4basketball history as the Class A state basketball champions
5in 1972, 1974, 1982, and 1983 with a combined two season
6win-loss record of 68-0 from 1982–83; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we congratulate the people of Lawrence County on the occasion
10of their 200th anniversary; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
12presented to the Chairman of the Lawrence County Board and the
13Lawrence County Historical Society as a symbol of our esteem
14and respect.