Palmyra, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Palmyra, Illinois
Village
Location in Macoupin County, Illinois
Palmyra, Illinois Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Macoupin
Townships	North Palmyra South Palmyra
Area
• Total	1.00 sq mi (2.59 km2)
• Land	1.00 sq mi (2.59 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	671 ft (205 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	605
• Density	605.61/sq mi (233.84/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	62674
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17-57329

Palmyra is a small village located in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, about 605 people lived there. This number was a bit lower than the 698 people who lived there in 2010.

History of Palmyra

The very first home built in the Palmyra area was a log cabin. It was built in 1835 by a person named William Owens.

Over time, the village had a few different names. It was first called "Newburg." Then, its name changed to "Cummington." Finally, in 1855, the village was officially named Palmyra.

Palmyra also had its own high school. Palmyra High School opened in 1892. It closed in 1948 when it joined with high schools from three other small towns.

Cool Places in Palmyra

Palmyra Opera House

The Palmyra Opera House has a long and interesting history. In 1902, Clarence Grimett bought part of a building in Palmyra. He and Joseph Waters ran a general store there. Around 1905, they added a basement oven and started selling fresh baked goods.

Later, they opened a theater on the second floor. People could watch plays and see traveling performers there. This whole building became known as the Palmyra Opera House. It was a very important place for town activities for many years. Today, the Palmyra Opera House is a restaurant. It re-opened in 1999.

Palmyra Castle

The Palmyra Castle is a unique home in the area. It is a very large house, about 9,000 square feet in size. It is built to look like a German castle. The castle sits on a big piece of land, about 40 acres, which is like a park.

Palmyra's Geography

Palmyra is located in the northwestern part of Macoupin County. You can find it at these coordinates: 39°26′2″N 89°59′44″W. Illinois Route 111 goes right through the village. It is known as Main Street there.

If you go north on Route 111, it's about 11 miles to Waverly. If you go southwest, it's about 22 miles to Medora. Carlinville, which is the main town of Macoupin County, is about 16 miles southeast of Palmyra.

The village of Palmyra covers about 1 square mile of land. There is no water area within the village limits. Solomon Creek flows along the western edge of Palmyra. This creek is part of the Macoupin Creek system, which eventually flows into the Illinois River.

Palmyra's Population

In 2000, there were 733 people living in Palmyra. These people lived in 334 households. Most of the people living in Palmyra were White (about 98.77%). A small number were African American, Native American, or Pacific Islander.

About 23.7% of the households had children under 18 living there. Many households (50.9%) were married couples living together. About 20.1% of the population was under 18 years old. About 23.2% of the people were 65 years old or older. The average age in Palmyra was 44 years.

Famous People from Palmyra

Some notable people have come from Palmyra:

• Richard Grace – He was a judge on the North Dakota Supreme Court.
• Joe McManus – He was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.
• Earle Benjamin Searcy – He was a state legislator in Illinois.

See also

In Spanish: Palmyra (Illinois) para niños