HR0447LRB102 19973 ECR 28757 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Altamont is a city in Effingham County with a
3population of 2,319 as of the 2010 census and is located along
4Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 40 (The Cumberland Road); and
 
5    WHEREAS, Altamont was settled by German immigrants from
6the banks of the Rhine River, who came through Pennsylvania
7and Ohio; agriculture is a prominent industry with a good mix
8of manufacturing employment in Altamont; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Altamont, the "City of Plain", was charted in
10Mound Township and got its name from J.W. Conlogue, a Latin
11language romantic, because of the elevation or "mound" that
12lies northwest; "alta" means altitude or height, and "mont"
13means mound; and
 
14    WHEREAS, At 23 years old, Dr. Charles M. Wright came to
15Effingham County in 1857; the town of Altamont was organized
16in 1871, and Dr. Charles M. Wright purchased five acres from
17the Vandalia Railroad and built a home in 1874 at 3 West
18Jackson Street, which was added to the National Registry of
19Historic Places in 1986; he established the C.M. Wright & Co.
20private bank in his former medical building in Altamont in
211878; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Altamont Living Museum is housed in the
2former First Presbyterian Church of Altamont; the church was
3declared organized with a congregation of 30 charter members
4on February 16, 1913; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Altamont is home to the Effingham County Fair and
6the Wolf Family Farm of Mound Township; the farm was
7established on September 30, 1869 and is designated a
8sesquicentennial farm by the Illinois Department of
9Agriculture; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Altamont is home to the Annual Mill Road
11Thresherman's Association Steam, Gas & Threshing Show; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Local legend states that Griffin Tipsword, whose
13original family name was Souards, came to the Altamont, Mound
14Township area first; living with the Kickapoo Native
15Americans, he was a pioneer, a missionary preacher, a hunter,
16and a medicine man; he was a veteran of the Revolutionary War
17who first fought at Ramsour's Mill in the Carolinas; he died in
181845 and was buried on the banks of Wolf Creek in the Tipsword
19family cemetery in Effingham; and
 
20    WHEREAS, A trading center called Montville had existed on
21the bank of the creek south of what is now Altamont but was
22then called Southmore Heights; the Southmore Heights

 

 

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1postmaster was G.H. Milleville, and in 1871, the post office
2moved to this new place called Altamont, which was officially
3organized as a town in 1871; and
 
4    WHEREAS, On August 8, 1872, Altamont adopted the village
5form of government with a mayor and four council members; on
6April 16, 1901, the Altamont voters adopted a city form of
7government and became the City of Altamont; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Altamont is home to the Effingham County
9Fairgrounds, where the Effingham County Fair has been held
10annually in the first week of August since 1945; the Effingham
11County Fair hosts nationally known country singers, a touring
12rodeo, ITPA truck and tractor pulls, a queen pageant, a talent
13show, Standardbred and Thoroughbred races, and a demolition
14derby; the fairgrounds were once host to the Illinois High
15School rodeo finals and currently host the Mill Road
16Thresherman's gathering and the annual Schutzenfest; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Altamont is home to the Ballard Nature Center;
18the nature preserve and educational center consists of 217
19acres and is located east of town; it includes 107 acres of
20woodland, 15 acres of restored prairie, 10 acres of shallow
21water wetlands, and 85 acres of agricultural land for
22educational programs and the enjoyment of families and
23visitors; Ernie Ballard donated 210 acres for the site of a

 

 

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1nature center and the funds to construct a visitor center; in
22014, the Glen Mathias family donated another 7 acres of land
3adjacent to the original 210 acres; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Altamont Lutheran Interparish School (ALIS) is a
5private school that serves grades K-8; the cornerstone reads
6"Immanuel Lutheran School 1959", but the school is now a joint
7effort of Immanuel, Bethlehem, St. Paul (Blue Point), and Zion
8Lutheran Churches; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The Altamont Living Museum is a not-for-profit
10organization and offers many forms of entertainment, including
11award winning performers, plays performed by local theater
12troupe A.C.T. and Altamont High school students,
13country/bluegrass variety shows on Tuesday nights, and
14memorabilia exhibits on display for visitors' enjoyment; the
15Altamont Living Museum building was a church built in the late
161800s that still has all of its original stained glass
17windows, wooden pews, wood floors, antique tin patterned
18ceiling, and lighting fixtures; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we congratulate the City of Altamont on the occasion of its
22150th year; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the City of Altamont as an expression of our
3esteem and respect.