HR0338 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0338 LRB102 18597 ECR 26920 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Lawrence County was formed on January 16, 1821 out of land from Crawford and Edwards Counties; it was named for Captain James Lawrence who was killed in action during the War of 1812 while commanding the frigate ship USS Chesapeake and who is especially remembered for giving his men the famous last order "Don't Give Up the Ship"; and

WHEREAS, The history of Lawrence County includes the George Rogers Clark march during the American Revolution across the land that would eventually become the county; Native American Shawnee Chief Tecumseh traveled through its forests, and future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and his family migrated to Illinois crossing over the Wabash River into Lawrence County; and

WHEREAS, On February 18, 1779, George Rogers Clark and his ragged band of soldiers passed through Lawrence County, crossing the Wabash River at St. Francisville, and conquered the Vincennes fort on February 25; and

WHEREAS, Settlers of French, Scottish, and Irish descent are said to have built quietly and with determination for the future in the county; historical records indicate that shortly after 1800, John Morris, a free Black man, traveled to Lawrence County with the Samuel Allison family and became one of the inhabitants of Fort Allison, located at the present site of Russellville; other free Black people and their families followed, including the families of Morris, Anderson, Tann, Goins, Cole, Portee, Casey, Byrd, Day, Pettiford, Russell, Blackwell, and Jones; and

WHEREAS, In March of 1830, the Lincoln Family crossed the Wabash River into Illinois by ox-teamed wagons; the family included 21-year-old Abraham, his father Thomas, his step-mother Sarah Bush Lincoln, and her two daughters and sons-in-law; later, Abraham Lincoln would visit Lawrence County and the courthouse as a practicing attorney; and

WHEREAS, Lawrence County is noted for being the first Illinois county to hang a woman; Mrs. Elizabeth Reed of Crawford County was hanged on May 23, 1845 for murdering her husband, Leonard Reed, by arsenic poison; and

WHEREAS, The first volunteer recruits requested by President Abraham Lincoln for Civil War service came from Lawrence County; men from Lawrence County served in various Illinois Infantry regiments, including the 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company I, 36th Regiment, Company C, 61st Regiment, Companies H and K, 62nd Regiment, Company A, 66th Regiment, Company I, 70th Regiment, Company K, 91st Regiment, Company F, 130th Regiment, Company I, and 154th Regiment, Company E; and

WHEREAS, Crude oil was discovered in Lawrence County in the early 1900s and created an economic boom for the area, including the establishment of the Indian Refining Company, later acquired by the Texas Company (TEXACO); the chemists at the Lawrenceville refinery of the Indian Refining Company patented the first "wax free" oil under the Havoline brand, which is currently the standard for all conventional motor oils throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, During World War II, the United States Army Air Corps base, George Field, was built in Lawrence County, located five miles east, northeast of Lawrenceville; it operated as part of an advanced pilot training school of 70,000 for the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1942 until 1945; initially named Lawrence Army Flying School, the name was changed to honor General Harold H. George who was killed in a ground accident at Batchelor Field, southeast of Darwin, Australia, on April 29, 1942; and

WHEREAS, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lawrence County has a total area of 374 square miles, 372 square miles of land and 2 square miles of water; according to the 2010 census, it had a population of 16,833; and

WHEREAS, Lawrence County includes the cities of Bridgeport, Lawrenceville (the county seat), St. Francisville, and Sumner, the village of Russellville, and the unincorporated communities of Billett, Birds, Chauncey, Helena, Petrolia, Pinkstaff, Sand Barrens, and Westport; the county also includes the nine townships of Allison, Bond, Bridgeport, Christy, Denison, Lawrence, Lukin, Petty, and Russell; and

WHEREAS, Lawrence County currently boasts two entries on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places; the first is The Lawrenceville County Courthouse at 1100 State Street, which was built in 1888–89 and was added to the Register on December 7, 2010; the second is the Wabash Cannonball Bridge at Thirteenth Street, also known as the Wooden Bridge, which was built in 1909 and added to the Register on April 26, 2016; and

WHEREAS, The current major employers in Lawrence County include Toyota Boshoku, Kauffman Engineering, United Healthcare, Rucker's Candy, and Wagner-Smith Equipment Company; and

WHEREAS, Lawrence County is served by two school districts, the Lawrenceville High School District and the Red Hill High School District; and

WHEREAS, The local Lawrenceville High School basketball team, known as the Indians, has provided a rich successful basketball history as the Class A state basketball champions in 1972, 1974, 1982, and 1983 with a combined two season win-loss record of 68-0 from 1982–83; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the people of Lawrence County on the occasion of their 200th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Chairman of the Lawrence County Board and the Lawrence County Historical Society as a symbol of our esteem and respect.