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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate the City of
4 Beardstown on the occasion of its 175th anniversary; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Beardstown was first settled in 1819 and is the
6 sixth oldest chartered city in the State of Illinois; the
7 city's founder, Thomas Beard, originally from Granville, New
8 York, with his friend, General Murray McConnel of Edwardsville,
9 arrived at the Indian Mound Village in 1819; Mr. Beard erected
10 a log cabin at the edge of the Illinois River and began trading
11 with the Indians; he went on to start a ferry service crossing
12 the river in 1826 and later built a two-story brick building
13 which was used for 85 years as a store and inn; this inn
14 sheltered the young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln, on his visits to
15 Beardstown; the inn was torn down when the new modern post
16 office was erected on the site; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Many people soon settled in this bounty land; in
18 1829, the city was platted and named for Thomas Beard; the
19 original town consisted of 21 blocks along the river front, 3
20 blocks deep, with City Square as the center block; both Abraham
21 Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches in the square during
22 their senatorial campaign in 1855; as a young man, Abraham
23 Lincoln was chosen to lead the Sangamon County company of
24 soldiers during the Black Hawk War in 1832; he was installed as
25 Captain on a spot near the Illinois River, located in Schmoldt
26 Park at the North end of Wall Street in Beardstown; and
 
27     WHEREAS, By 1834, Beardstown was a growing port that
28 shipped from its wharves grain, hogs, and provisions to the
29 interior of the State and downriver to markets; it became known
30 as "Porkopolis" because of its stockyards and slaughterhouses,
31 where more than 50,000 hogs were processed annually; the
32 railroad came to Beardstown in 1869 with the laying of the

 

 

HR1020 - 2 - LRB093 22425 HSS 51784 r

1 Rockford, Rock Island, and St. Louis Railroad track; Beardstown
2 was an important division point, and a roundhouse was built in
3 1882 for repair of engines; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Beardstown, located on Mile 88 of the Illinois
5 River, was at one time known as the Belle of the Bend; its
6 famous marina was a well-known boat stop for river travelers;
7 today, many hunters and fishermen travel to Beardstown for
8 sport because of its many natural bays, streams, and wooded
9 areas; surrounding the town is a marsh that is the habitat for
10 several species of wildlife; local people still use the
11 Illinois River for pleasure as well as to earn a living; in the
12 days of old, fishing was a major industry in the area and
13 button factories opened along the river because of the mussel
14 and freshwater pearl fishing; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Agriculture is important in the area, Beardstown
16 being well-known for its production of watermelons, which are
17 trucked to many major cities in the country; nearby farms also
18 produce corn, soybeans, Christmas trees, hogs, and cattle; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The City of Beardstown will celebrate its 175th
20 anniversary July 2, 2004 through July 4, 2004; therefore, be it
 
21     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
23 congratulate the City of Beardstown on the occasion of its
24 175th anniversary; and be it further
 
25     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
26 presented to the City of Beardstown as an expression of our
27 esteem and with best wishes for a prosperous future.