Pittsfield, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pittsfield, Illinois
City
Pike County Courthouse
Location of Pittsfield in Pike County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Pike
Area
• Total	5.17 sq mi (13.39 km2)
• Land	4.78 sq mi (12.39 km2)
• Water	0.39 sq mi (1.00 km2)
Elevation	732 ft (223 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,206
• Density	879.55/sq mi (339.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	62363
Area code(s)	217
FIPS code	17-60222
GNIS feature ID	415748
Wikimedia Commons	Pittsfield, Illinois
Website	http://www.pittsfieldil.org/

Pittsfield is a city in Pike County, Illinois, United States. It is also the county seat, which means it is where the main government offices for the county are located. In 2020, about 4,206 people lived in Pittsfield.

History of Pittsfield

Early Settlers and Founding

Pittsfield was first settled by people from New England around 1820. These settlers came from families who had lived in New England since the 1600s. A group from Pittsfield, Massachusetts traveled west and made this area of Illinois their new home. When they arrived, the land was mostly wild. They worked hard to build farms, roads, and government buildings.

Abraham Lincoln's Connection to Pittsfield

As the county seat, Pittsfield was one of the places where Abraham Lincoln worked as a lawyer. He was part of the circuit court, which meant he traveled to different towns to practice law. Lincoln handled 34 cases in Pittsfield between 1839 and 1852.

One local newspaper, now called the Pike Press, was once owned by John Nicolay. He later became one of Lincoln's secretaries. This newspaper published an article that was one of the first to suggest Lincoln should run for president as a Republican. Pittsfield was also the home of John Hay, who was Lincoln's personal secretary. Hay later became an ambassador and then the Secretary of State for Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. He also created the Open Door Policy.

The "Pork Capital" and Local Sports

Pittsfield calls itself the "Pork Capital" of the Midwest. This is because the area has a long history of raising pigs. This pork was important for the large meat-packing industry in Chicago. Even though farming in the area doesn't focus as much on pork today, the town still celebrates with a yearly "Pig Days" festival.

Pittsfield is also known for its high school sports. The local high school football team, the Saukees, holds the record for the longest winning streak in Illinois. It's also the 21st longest streak in the entire country! From 1966 to 1973, the Saukees won 64 games in a row. This included 15 games where they didn't let the other team score any points. In 1970, the team scored 341 points and didn't let opponents gain any rushing yards all season.

The Pittsfield Saukees basketball team also won the Illinois State basketball title in 1991. Their coach, David T. Bennett, was later added to the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2011, exactly 20 years later, the Saukees returned to the state basketball tournament and finished in 4th place.

Pittsfield in Books and Music

Pittsfield is the setting for a children's book called Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs by Jamie Gilson. The singer and songwriter Sufjan Stevens also wrote a song about Pittsfield. It is on his album The Avalanche.

Historic Landmarks to Explore

The Shastid House, a historic building in Pittsfield.

Pittsfield has many places with documented connections to Abraham Lincoln. There are nine homes still standing in Pittsfield that Lincoln visited. One of these is the Shastid House, where Lincoln often stayed when he was working on cases in the county. Old records of Lincoln's cases are still kept in the courthouse basement.

Pike County Courthouse

The Pike County Courthouse is a very important landmark in Pittsfield. It was designed by architect Henry Elliott. The building was finished in 1895 and cost about $68,520. It was the third courthouse in Pittsfield and the fifth in Pike County.

The courthouse is shaped like an octagon and is 96 feet by 96 feet. It is made of Cleveland sandstone and brick. There are four entrances, all exactly the same, facing north, south, east, and west. The doors are large and made of oak and glass.

A tall tower and dome rise 136 feet from the center of the building. Inside, the hallways are wide with marble floors and decorated ceilings. If you look up from the center, you can see a beautiful dome with colored lights. Many people think the Pike County Illinois Courthouse is one of the most beautiful courthouses in the state.

East Ward School

The East Ward School was built between 1861 and 1866. It was designed by Architect John M. Van Osdel. He also designed famous buildings like the Palmer House in Chicago and the Governor's Mansion in Springfield.

The school was built with stone from Joliet and bricks made in Pittsfield. When it was finished in 1866, it was one of the best and largest school buildings in Illinois. The original blackboards were simply black paint on the walls. The building was heated by hot air from furnaces in the basement.

A large clock and bell were given to the school by Colonel Ross and placed in the tower. This clock tower is one of the few original tower clocks left in the United States. The school closed in 1955. In 1978, it was renovated and became the home of the Pike County Historical Society and the Pike County Historic Museum.

William Watson Hotel

The William Watson hotel was built in 1838. It was first called Mansion House. It was built by William Watson, who was the first person to settle in Pittsfield. It is said that Abraham Lincoln and many other important people often stayed at this hotel.

Geography and Natural Beauty

Pittsfield is located between two major rivers. The Mississippi River is about eight miles to the southwest. The Illinois River is about eight miles to the east. Bay Creek flows just north and east of the city.

The city covers about 4.97 square miles. Most of this area, about 4.58 square miles, is land. The rest, about 0.39 square miles, is water.

Lake Pittsfield: A Local Treasure

Pittsfield gets its drinking water from Lake Pittsfield. This is an artificial lake created by a dam. The lake is 200 acres in size and is part of a 680-acre park. This park is a popular spot for outdoor activities. You can go boating, fishing, camping, hiking, and play disc golf there.

Hills, Forests, and Wildlife

Pittsfield and most of Pike County are located in the land between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. This area has many streams and low-lying lands. These usually drain into the Illinois River through the McGee Creek drainage basin. Because of this, the land around Pittsfield is much more hilly and forested than other parts of central Illinois.

This unique geography, along with less development, makes the areas around Pittsfield great for wildlife. Many hunters from other states visit Pittsfield. Pike County often has the highest number of deer harvested during hunting seasons in Illinois.

Climate in Pittsfield

Population and People

In 2000, Pittsfield had 4,211 people living in 1,805 households. About 1,126 of these were families. The population density was about 1,178 people per square mile. Most of the people living in Pittsfield were White (98.43%).

About 25.8% of households had children under 18. About 52.5% were married couples. The average household had 2.22 people, and the average family had 2.86 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 21.3% were under 18 years old. About 25.9% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 44 years.

The median income for a household was $29,129. For a family, it was $42,000. The average income per person in the city was $16,628. About 12.3% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 15.7% of those under 18.

Famous People from Pittsfield

See also

In Spanish: Pittsfield (Illinois) para niños