Chester, Illinois

Chester
City
Nickname: Home of Popeye
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Randolph
Elevation	669 ft (204 m)
Coordinates	37°54′50″N 89°49′23″W / 37.91389°N 89.82306°W / 37.91389; -89.82306
Area	5.9 sq mi (15 km2)
- land	5.9 sq mi (15 km2)
Population	8,400 (2000)
Density	879.9 / sq mi (340 / km2)
Mayor	Joe l. Eggemeyer
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	62233
Area code	618
Location of Chester within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Chester, Illinois
Website: City of Chester

Chester is a city located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River Valley in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,400 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County and is located 63 miles (101 km) south of St. Louis, Missouri.

History

Samuel Smith built the first home in Chester, established a ferry system, and began the construction of a mill in 1829. He is said to be the town's founder. It was his wife Jane Thomas, a native of Chester, England, who gave Chester its name as a tribute to her home town. The first business in Chester was a general store that opened in 1830 along with a castor oil press established by R. B. Servant, who furnished farmers with seed and growing methods to later buy the beans they produced for oil extraction. This was a flourishing business until the petroleum industry made it obsolete. The first wedding in the town of Chester was held on February 4, 1834. Content Walker, the bride and Amzi Andrews, the groom held their wedding in a 16 feet square log cabin. It was attended by the entire town. In 1839 the H.C.Cole Milling Company began.^[1]

Cole Milling Company

The Cole Milling Company was founded by Nathan Cole in 1839. It started out as a small sawmill with a corn-grinding attachment which encouraged the townspeople to plant grains and in a short time the first Cole flour mill was built. The mill still exists in Chester but it is now known as Con Agra Inc. Nathan Cole also brought the first electric generator to Chester and used the surplus of power from the mill to operate street lights. This was a modern convenience that was not even available in Chicago at that point. The generator is now on display at the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.^[2]

International Shoe Company

In 1916 Mr. Bronson, Mr. Albert Gilster, Mr. Frank Wolff, and Mr. John Hershbach, developed the site for the International Shoe Company in the center of town whre the Gilster Mary Lee Corp. is today. In 1922 a second building was built, and the company had more than 1000 employees and was producing thousands of pairs of children's shoes. In 1953 payroll reached over $2,000,000. The factory was closed by the company in the early 1960s after 45 years of operation.^[2]

Prim Hosiery Mill

In 1925 the Prim Hosiery Mill was a knitting mill that began operations under Joshua Richman with 50 employees. The mill grew employing more than 275 people and producing over 300,000 pairs of stockings a month with annual payroll exceeding $700,000. The knitting mill continued operations through the 1960s. The building still stands as one of the Gilster Mary Lee Corp. factory buildings.^[2]

Chester Pool

Construction began for the Chester Pool in 1939 as part of Works Progress Administration (WPA) a public works program to create employment during the Great Depression. It was completed in 1941, although due to the delivery of the filtration system being delayed it did not officially open until May 30, 1942, under the management of William Weber. 250 swimmers visited the pool in the first week and were charged 15 cents for weekdays and 25 cents for weekends. The pool is still in operation each summer.

Home of "Popeye"

Chester is the "Home of Popeye," where a six-foot, 900 lb. bronze statue of Popeye the Sailor Man stands in the Elzie C. Segar Memorial Park, which also honors Popeye's creator, Elzie Segar. The park is located next to the Chester Bridge. Several of Mr. Segar's characters were created from experiences with people of Chester. Chester's big event is its annual Popeye Picnic and parade, held the weekend after Labor Day. Popeye fans travel from all over the United States and the world to partake in the weekend activities. Most of the events and entertainment are free and family friendly.

New statues honoring the other Thimble Theater characters are added each year.^[3] This character trail is spread throughout Chester and to date includes

• Popeye the Sailor Man
• J. Wellington Wimpy (2006)
• "Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, and Jeep" (2007)
• "Bluto" (2008)
• "Castor Oyl and Whiffle Hen" (2009)
• "Sea Hag" (2010)^[4]

Popeye's Picnic and Parade

Popeye's Picnic is an event that takes place in Chester for three days out of the year. It takes place in the month of September. Popeye's Picnic consists of rides, food stands, music, amateur wrestling matches, fireworks, in the past there were talent shows and ghost tours, an airplane show, a bazaar at St. John's Lutheran School, a small petting zoo, horseback rides for children, a sand sculpture is made representing the theme of that year's picnic, and more. The Popeye Parade is held on a Saturday morning. Before the parade there is a walk and run for anyone who wants to participate in it. Medals and trophies are awarded for the top runners and walkers in each age category. A Popeye t-shirt is included with each entry. Many people from different towns participate in this parade. The parade consists of local school bands, band fronts, such as dance teams and cheerleaders, floats from various businesses, fire departments, veterans representing the United States, politicians marching, clowns passing out stickers and candy, and finally horses trail the parade. Many people and businesses help sponsor the picnic and donate money and time to make it possible.^[5][6]

Parks and historic sites

The Chester area includes a number of state parks and historic sites. The Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site has a beautiful overlook of the Mississippi River. Down the hill from the park is the Pierre Menard Home, an unusually fine example of French Creole-style architecture, which was built around 1815 and was the home of the first lieutenant governor of Illinois. Across the river from the fort is Kaskaskia Island,^[7] the only part of Illinois west of the Mississippi River. The island was the site of the first state capital of Illinois. A historic church founded by French explorer Pere Jacques Marquette still holds weekly mass on the island. Older than the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell of the West is located near the church on the island and was a gift from King Louis XV of France. Five miles northeast of Chester is the Randolph County State Recreation Area, which has a 65-acre (260,000 m²) lake for fishing as well as hiking and equestrian trails. South of Chester is the Turkey Bluffs State Fish and Wildlife Area, which has many scenic overlooks and trails to spot its namesake turkeys. Part of the Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge,^[8] a division of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is located along the Mississippi River at Chester. Chester's Evergreen Cemetery is the burial site of the first governor of Illinois, Shadrach Bond, and U.S. Senator Elias Kent Kane, Illinois' first Secretary of State and architect of the state constitution. A monument to Bond is also located within the cemetery. Additionally, Cole Memorial Park is located within the city limits of Chester.

Bridges

Chester has two bridges, a river bridge known as the Chester Bridge, and a covered bridge known as Mary's River Bridge. The Chester Bridge was first constructed on August 23, 1942, as a toll bridge. Sections of this bridge were destroyed by a storm in July 1944 but it was reopened in August 1946. As of January 1, 1989 the Chester Bridge is no longer a toll bridge. Mary's River Bridge is the only covered bridge in Chester and one of three remaining in the state. At one time there were 132 covered bridges in the state of Illinois. Mary's River Bridge was built in 1854 and stayed open to traffic for 76 years. The bridge suffered extensive damage during the 1993 flood but has been repaired. This bridge is still a Chester attraction and picnic area.^[9]

Media

Chester now has Channel 10 through Cable TV. It broadcasts events, post announcements and upcoming community events, relays emergency notices and much more to the citizens of Chester. Students from the Chester Grade School contribute daily broadcasts from the school.

Chester's newspaper is the Randolph County Herald Tribune and the radio station is KSGM. Chester's on-line newspaper is SunTimesNews.com.

Claims to fame

It is said^{[by whom?]} that on April 11, 1842, Charles Dickens, the author of A Christmas Carol and Great Expectations along with his wife, visited Chester.^[10] Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, a pilot on the Mississippi River between 1857 and the civil war, supposedly on many of his trips stayed at Chester's Cliff House, a fine river hostelry. Twain also mentioned the blue windows of Chester's Cohen Home, visible from the Mississippi, in his book "Life on the Mississippi."^[10] Chester was also the filming location of scenes from the 1967 movie In the Heat of the Night, the 1993 movie The Fugitive, and the 1994 film documentary Hoop Dreams.^[11]

Geography

Chester is located at 37°54′50″N 89°49′23″W / 37.91389°N 89.82306°W / 37.91389; -89.82306 (37.913947, -89.823140).^[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15 km²) of it is land and 0.17% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 8,400 people, 2,018 households, and 1,283 families residing in the city. The population density was 879.9 people per square mile (339.9/km²). There were 2,229 housing units at an average density of 378.3 per square mile (146.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.87% White, 3.59% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 2,018 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,079, and the median income for a family was $49,426. Males had a median income of $36,103 versus $22,239 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,190. About 5.4% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Illinois Department of Corrections Menard Correctional Center is located in Chester.^[14][15] Prior to the January 11, 2003 commutation of death row sentences, male death row inmates were housed in Menard, Tamms, and Pontiac correctional centers. After that date, only Pontiac continued to host the male death row.^[16]

Economy

Large employers include the Menard Correctional Center, the Chester Mental Health Center, and the private label food company Gilster-Mary Lee.

Education

Public

Chester Community Unit School District No. 139 consists of two schools; Chester High School and Chester Grade School. The superintendent is Rebecca Keim. The principal of Chester High School is Keith Kittell with the vice principal being Danny Miller. The principal of Chester Grade School is Tim Lochhead with the dean of students being Deb Caraway.

Private

St. John's Lutheran School and St. Mary's School are Chester's parochial schools. The principal of St. John's Lutheran School is Chris Urquhart. The principal of St. Mary's School is Janelle Robinson.

Religious affiliations

There are eleven churches located in Chester. These churches consist of the New Life First Pentecostal Church, First Baptist Church, First Christian Church of Chester, Family Worship Center Assembly of God, First Presbyterian Church, First Apostolic Pentecostal Church, First United Methodist Church, Grace Church Ministries, Peace Lutheran Church ELCA, St. John Lutheran Church LCMS, and St. Mary's Help of Christians Church.^[17]

Notable people

• Pierre Menard, 2nd Governor of Illinois

Notes and references

1. ^ Gordon,Eileen.A History Of Chester, Illinois 1829-1979.Taylor Publishing Company, 1979. Print.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Gordon, Eileen."A History Of Chester, Illinois 1829-1979." Taylor Publishing Company, 1979. Print.
3. ^ "Character Trail". City of Chester website. http://www.chesterill.com/index.php?id=71. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
4. ^ Gonzalez, Jennifer. "Sea Hag Statue Unveiled During Popeye Picnic" Randolph County Herald Tribune [Chester, Il] 15 September 2010 A1. Print.
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ "30th Annual Popeye Picnic". City of Chester website. http://www.popeyepicnic.com/index.php?id=24. Retrieved 2009-11-15. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ Kaskaskia Island
8. ^ Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
9. ^ Pirtle, Carol. "Where Illinois Began: A Pictorial History Of Randolph County." Donning Publishing Company, 1995. Print.
10. ^ ^{a b} "A BIT OF A CHESTER HISTORY LESSON". http://www.chesterill.com/index.php?id=23. Retrieved 2011-01-05. 
11. ^ "Titles with locations including Chester, Illinois, USA". IMDB.com. http://www.imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Chester,%20Illinois,%20USA&&heading=18;with+locations+including;Chester,%20Illinois,%20USA. Retrieved 2008-10-18. 
12. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 
13. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
14. ^ "Menard Correctional Center." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
15. ^ "Chester city, Illinois." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
16. ^ "DOC Report Online." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
17. ^ "Welcome to Chester". City of Chester website. http://www.chesterill.com/index.php?id=24. Retrieved 2009-11-15. 

External links

Illinois portal

• The Randolph County Herald Tribune
• Sun Times News Online
• 618 Football - Chester Yellow Jackets