Mill Shoals, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mill Shoals "The Original Key Ring Capital of the World"
Village
Village of Mill Shoals
Location of Mill Shoals in Wayne County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	White
Founded	1896
Named for	Mill Shoals takes its name from the water mill built by William Weed in 1835 on the shoals of the Skillet Fork River at the western boundary of the community.
Village	Village of Mill Shoals Town House Building
Government
• Type	Mayor-Board Government
• Body	Village of Mill Shoals Board
Area
• Total	0.77 sq mi (1.99 km2)
• Land	0.77 sq mi (1.99 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	390 ft (120 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	176
• Density	228.6/sq mi (88.4/km2)
Demonym(s)	"Girl/Boy from Mill Shoals"
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62862
Area code(s)	618
FIPS code	17-49347
GNIS ID	2399348
Wikimedia Commons	Mill Shoals, Illinois

Mill Shoals is a small village located in both Wayne and White counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 2020, about 176 people lived there. A survey in 2022 counted 157 residents.

Mill Shoals is about a 4-hour drive south of Chicago. It's also close to other major cities: about an hour northwest of Evansville, Indiana, two hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and an hour and a half east of St. Louis, Missouri. The village has a U.S. Post Office, a community center, a private grain elevator, and two churches. Many residents are active in groups like 4-H, FFA, and Ruritans.

Weather in Mill Shoals

Mill Shoals, Illinois, has a climate with hot summers and cold winters. In summer (June to August), the average temperature is between 70°F and 85°F. In winter (December to February), it drops to about 20°F to 35°F.

The village gets a good amount of rain throughout the year, with May and June being the wettest months. Mill Shoals is also in an area where strong thunderstorms and tornadoes can happen, especially in spring and summer. It's important for everyone to stay updated on weather news to stay safe.

Farming and Community Life

A 1950s postcard showing a fencerow and windmill in Mill Shoals, Illinois.

Farming is very important to Mill Shoals and the areas around it. The land here is very good for growing crops. Farmers mainly grow corn, soybeans, and wheat. There are also farms with livestock like beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs, and chickens. These farms provide food for the local community. They also help the economy by creating jobs and selling farm products. Farming is a big part of life in Mill Shoals.

Geography of Mill Shoals

Mill Shoals is located at 38°14′52″N 88°20′48″W / 38.24778°N 88.34667°W / 38.24778; -88.34667. The village covers about 0.79 square miles, all of which is land.

It is situated in Illinois, roughly two-thirds of the way from St. Louis, Missouri to Evansville, Indiana. You can find it where Interstate 64 and U.S. Highway 45 meet.

Local Landscape and History

Mill Shoals is in a special area called the Mid-America Basin. Long ago, a huge glacier shaped this land, leaving behind rich soil and minerals like oil and coal. This area also had large forests of maple, ash, and oak trees. It was perfect for growing crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans.

Native American groups lived here for thousands of years, building advanced civilizations. Later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, French and English explorers came to the area. Famous American explorers like George Rogers Clark and Daniel Boone also traveled through this region.

In the 18th Century, explorers like Marquette and Joliet visited in 1673. Later, George Rogers Clark led the American conquest in 1778. After the War of 1812, pioneers moved into the area, heading west. This region became a key stopping point for settlers going to the far West.

The village is in the northwest corner of White County, Illinois. It's about 30 miles north of Carmi, the county seat. The nearest large city is Evansville, Indiana, about 60 miles to the east. The Skillet Fork River forms the western border of the village. U.S. Route 45 runs through the town, and Interstate 64 is just two miles north.

About 20% of the land in Mill Shoals is used for farming, mostly soybeans and corn. About 30% is developed, and 50% is unused. The western part of the village, near the river, often floods. In 1978, out of 314 residents, 75 were retired and 107 were children. Mill Shoals has an elementary school, and high school students go to Fairfield, nine miles north. Fairfield is also where most Mill Shoals residents go for shopping.

History of Mill Shoals

The first European-American settlers, mostly of Scotch-Irish descent, arrived in White County, Illinois, between 1807 and 1809. They first settled near the Little Wabash River. Many came through the land office in Shawneetown, a port on the Ohio River. In the second half of the 19th century, towns like Mill Shoals were established.

Mill Shoals was once known for making barrels, which used up many of the nearby forests. It was mainly a farming village until 1939, when oil was found in the area. The oil industry grew for a while, but it declined sharply in the early 1970s. After that, Mill Shoals went back to being mostly an agricultural community. The town was also hit by big fires in the early 1940s and 1970s. It still has an original mural from the Great Depression era in its Post Office.

Many people who live in Mill Shoals travel to nearby towns for work. They work in places like schools, service industries, factories, and farms.

The Fairfield Rural Fire Department Branch Barn in Mill Shoals, Illinois.

Mill Shoals in 1978

In 1978, Mill Shoals was a typical small town in southern Illinois with 314 people. It's in the Wabash Meadows, an area with hills and fertile river bottomlands. U.S. Highway 45 goes through the center of town. A train track, built in 1870, brings two freight trains each week. A county road connects Mill Shoals to Burnt Prairie, five miles east.

Mill Shoals was officially started in 1872. Its name comes from a water mill built by William Weed in 1835. This mill was on the shoals (shallow parts) of the Skillet Fork River at the west edge of the community. The town is run by an elected mayor and council. They helped get a water supply system and a new elementary school in 1965.

Mill Shoals sometimes calls itself the "key ring capital of the world." This is because Henry T. Adams of Mill Shoals invented the ring binder in 1902. Besides the Adams Manufacturing Company, there was also the Behimer and Kissner Grain Elevator and Grace Agricultural Products (which made chemical fertilizers). The town also had a post office, a hardware store (that also made ice), a grocery store, a cafe, two gas stations, two beauty shops, several contractors, a funeral home, and five churches.

Many people in Mill Shoals in 1978 were retired senior citizens. Most working residents had jobs in nearby Fairfield. The town started informally between 1808 and 1835, as settlers camped on high ground in the "drowned lands." Floods and major fires in 1900 and 1924 caused a lot of damage to the river settlement.

Railroad and Town Changes

In the early 1900s, Mill Shoals slowly moved east, away from the river and closer to the railroad tracks. This changed Mill Shoals from a milling town by the river to a stop along the highway. The town has seen times of great growth and then periods of decline.

Growth of the Mill and Village

The first big growth happened when the Hawkins and Smith Stave Mill arrived in 1892. By 1900, the population had grown to 1,500 people. The town had many businesses, including a flour mill, a saw mill, a lumber factory, a tile factory, and a canning factory. There were also two hotels, an opera house, a saloon, a pool room, a drug store, a hardware store, a restaurant, two grocery stores, a barber shop, two general stores, two doctors, and a stable.

A bank opened in 1903. In 1906, farmers formed a group to raise and sell livestock. Mill Shoals also had a weekly newspaper and sidewalks. It even got electric lighting before Fairfield did. When the stave mill left in 1909, the town had a quiet period for ten years. People remember this time for big reunions and visiting circuses.

The Egyptian Tie and Timber Company helped the economy during the 1920s as the lumber business was very busy.

Oil Boom in the 1930s and 1940s

The hard times of the Great Depression were made a little easier by an oil boom from 1938 until the end of World War II. After the oil boom, the economy slowed down. The local high school (Mills Prairie) closed, which affected the social life in Mill Shoals. This school had been a four-year school since 1945.

As the country needs more local energy, Mill Shoals could be near a future coal boom. The big question for this community, which has survived through good and bad times, is how it can benefit from new growth and build a strong, lasting economy for the future.

Housing and Public Services in 1978

In 1978, Mill Shoals had several public services. These included a post office, the elementary school, a building that served as both the town hall and fire station, and a new town park being built. There were 176 homes in Mill Shoals, mostly small, single-family houses. About a quarter of these homes were mobile homes.

A survey in 1976 found that 55% of the homes were in good condition. About 5% of the homes were empty, and some of these could be fixed up for community projects. Most homes had city water piped in, while others used pressurized cisterns (tanks for collecting rainwater).

Sewage was handled by septic tanks, but many of them were not up to standard. Excess water drained through open ditches, which made it hard to do laundry and created a health risk. Most homes had gas heating and electricity, but fewer had telephones. Four of the five churches serving the area were located in Mill Shoals.

Population Information

In 2020, Mill Shoals had 176 people. The average household income was $51,731. About 4.3% of the people had a college degree or higher. 51% of the population was employed. There were 97 total housing units. Only 3.5% of residents did not have health insurance. The average age in Mill Shoals was 35 years old.

Ancestry in Mill Shoals (2020)

The people of Mill Shoals come from various backgrounds.

• 2.9% have Italian ancestry.
• 9.8% have English ancestry.
• 38.2% have German ancestry.
• 20.8% have Irish ancestry.
• 1.2% have Norwegian ancestry.
• 11.6% have Polish ancestry.

Languages Spoken (2020)

In Mill Shoals, 0% of people speak a language other than English at home. This is much lower than the 23.3% for the whole state of Illinois.

Birthplace (2020)

No one in Mill Shoals was born outside the United States. In Illinois, 14.2% of the population is foreign-born.

Older Population (2020)

About 30.1% of Mill Shoals residents are 65 years old or older. This is higher than the 16.6% for Illinois.

• 19.1% are between 65 and 74 years old.
• 9.8% are between 75 and 84 years old.
• 1.2% are 85 years and older.

Moving Trends (2020)

In the last year, 3% of Mill Shoals residents moved from a different state. This is slightly higher than the 1.6% for Illinois.

Veterans (2020)

About 9.2% of Mill Shoals residents are veterans, which is higher than the 5% for Illinois. All veterans in Mill Shoals are male.

Income and Poverty (2020)

The average household income in Mill Shoals was $51,731. This is less than the average for Illinois, which was $72,205. About 8.1% of Mill Shoals residents live in poverty. This is lower than the 12.1% poverty rate for Illinois.

• 14.8% of those in poverty are under 18 years old.
• 6% are between 18 and 64 years old.
• 3.8% are 65 years and older.

Education Levels (2020)

• 4.3% of Mill Shoals residents have a bachelor's degree or higher. In Illinois, 37.1% have a bachelor's degree or higher.
• 29.9% of the village residents have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• 35% have some college education but no degree.
• 22% have an associate's degree.

See also

In Spanish: Mill Shoals (Illinois) para niños