Clarksville, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clarksville
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 Clarksville
Location in Illinois
Clarksville
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Clark |
| Elevation | 656 ft (200 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 406177 |
Clarksville is a small place in Illinois, USA. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's part of a larger county. Clarksville is located about ten kilometers (about 6 miles) northwest of Marshall, in the eastern part of Illinois. It sits on the northern edge of Clark County, within an area called Dolson Township.
History of Clarksville
Clarksville was started in 1851. Back then, it was a busy place that offered many services to local farmers and people living nearby. You could find a blacksmith shop, a general store, a school, and a church there.
Today, only the church, the Clarksville Baptist Church, is still active. Its old building was used for about 100 years! In 2005, a new, bigger church building was finished. There's also a cemetery between the old and new church buildings. Many early settlers and people from the area are buried there, some of whom were born in the 1700s.
For many years, Clarksville became quieter. People started traveling more easily to bigger towns nearby, where stores offered more choices. This made the small local shops in Clarksville less popular.
However, Clarksville is now growing again! A dam was built on Mill Creek, just south of the village. This created a lake, and a large county park was made along its shores. Because of the lake and park, new neighborhoods have been built near Mill Creek Lake. These new homes are quite nice.
To help visitors to the park, there are now places to store boats near the lake. There's also a small restaurant and bait shop. This gives park visitors and local people a place to eat and meet up. A local telephone company, which is run by its customers (a cooperative), provides phone service to everyone in Clarksville and the surrounding area.
