HR1256 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1256 LRB100 23976 ALS 43060 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate the City of Albion on the bicentennial anniversary of its founding; and

WHEREAS, In 1816, George Flower and Morris Birkbeck, affluent Englishmen, sought to immigrate to America from England to form a colony that prized independence and political representation; after traveling through Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Tennessee, the pair became convinced that the prairies of Edwards County were the best place for an English settlement; and

WHEREAS, In March of 1818, the first party of 88 immigrants embarked from Bristol, England; a month later, a second group of more than 60 immigrants departed aboard a chartered ship; a rift that had developed between Birkbeck and Flower divided the settlers into two factions; as a result, two settlements, Albion and Wanborough, developed two miles apart from one another; and

WHEREAS, The settlements grew quickly, and in 1821, the county seat of Edwards County was moved from Palmyra to Albion, cementing the town's influence and securing its future; this move was not without controversy, as the residents of nearby Mount Carmel felt their town should be the county seat and marched their militia toward Albion to seize the documents stored in the courthouse; this situation was eventually resolved with the creation of Wabash County; and

WHEREAS, Morris Birkbeck was instrumental in consolidating anti-slavery forces in Illinois; he wrote numerous editorials in newspapers through the region under the pen name Jonathan Freeman to ensure that Illinois remained a free state; in 1824, Edward Coles, a London native who became the second Governor of the State of Illinois, appointed his friend Birkbeck as the Secretary of State of Illinois; Morris Birkbeck held that office until his death a year later; and

WHEREAS, Morris Birkbeck's death, along with the competition from Albion, devastated the town of Wanborough, and it was abandoned by 1840; all that remains of the settlement is a historic cemetery; and

WHEREAS, Today, Albion has a population of approximately 1,900, many businesses, the Edwards County High School, and a variety of historic sites, including the pagoda on the courthouse square, which was originally built to protect the town's mineral well; and

WHEREAS, Albion is home to the Edwards County Fairgrounds and the Edwards County Fair, where residents enjoy harness racing, midway games, carnival rides, a demolition derby, and livestock shows; and

WHEREAS, The Albion Library is the oldest public library in Illinois and dates back to 1819; the library provides free services to the residents of Albion and has been in its current location since 1922; and

WHEREAS, Several notable figures have called Albion home, including Louis Emmerson, the 29th Governor of Illinois, H.H. Kohlstaat, a newspaper publisher and advisor to five United States Presidents, Jeff Keener, a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Harold Basset, a United States Air Force Major General, and Harold Garman, a United States Army Medic and Medal of Honor recipient; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the City of Albion on their bicentennial anniversary and celebrate the many contributions the citizens of Albion have made throughout the history of the State of Illinois; and be it further

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