Shelbyville, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shelbyville
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Shelby County Courthouse
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Location of Shelbyville in Shelby County, Illinois.
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Location of Illinois in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| County | Shelby |
| Townships | Shelbyville, Rose |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.26 sq mi (11.05 km2) |
| • Land | 4.08 sq mi (10.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.19 sq mi (0.48 km2) |
| Elevation | 624 ft (190 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,674 |
| • Density | 1,145.87/sq mi (442.42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) |
62565
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| Area code(s) | 217 |
| FIPS code | 17-69186 |
| Website | www.shelbyvilleillinois.net |
Shelbyville is a city in Illinois, United States. It is the main city, or county seat, of Shelby County. The city is located along the Kaskaskia River. In 2020, about 4,674 people lived there. Shelbyville has the only hospital in the county, HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital. It is also home to the Chautauqua Auditorium, a historic building used for events.
Contents
History of Shelbyville
Shelbyville has been home to some important inventions!
Cool Inventions from Shelbyville
- The Dishwasher: Josephine Garis Cochran lived in Shelbyville. In 1886, she invented one of the first mechanical dishwashers. It was shown at a big event called the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. There, it won "the highest award" for its design.
- The Pick-Up Baler: Another important invention from Shelbyville was the first commercial pick-up baler. This machine helps farmers collect and pack hay or straw in the field. Raymore McDonald designed and built it. Horace M. Tallman and his sons, Leslie and Gentry, helped pay for it. These balers were sold for many years by the Ann Arbor Machine Company in Shelbyville.
This invention changed how farmers harvested crops around the world. Over 15 million balers have used this basic design! Because of its importance, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers named Shelbyville an historical landmark for agricultural engineering. There are only 47 such landmarks in the entire United States. Mr. Tallman's old home has been fixed up and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. You can find it on West Main Street, and it's now part of the Shelby Inn.
Geography of Shelbyville
Shelbyville is located at 39°24′29″N 88°47′59″W / 39.40806°N 88.79972°W.
In 2010, the city covered about 4.016 square miles (11.05 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 3.83 square miles (10.56 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.186 square miles (0.48 square kilometers), is water.
How Shelbyville Started
Shelbyville was founded in 1827. It was named after Isaac Shelby, a hero from the American Revolutionary War. He was also a governor of Kentucky.
The city's history began with Barnett Bone, who came from Tennessee. In 1835, he built a log cabin next to the Kaskaskia River. This cabin later became the county courthouse. The first businesses in Shelbyville were blacksmith shops, a general store, a stage coach stop, and a grist mill (which grinds grain).
Land Features Around Shelbyville
Near Shelbyville, you can find a special landform called the Shelbyville Moraine. This is a ridge of hills and rocks left behind by a huge ancient ice sheet called the Wisconsin Glacier.
Shelbyville's Climate
| Climate data for Shelbyville, Illinois (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) |
74 (23) |
85 (29) |
89 (32) |
95 (35) |
104 (40) |
103 (39) |
101 (38) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
80 (27) |
72 (22) |
104 (40) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35.9 (2.2) |
41.1 (5.1) |
51.9 (11.1) |
64.0 (17.8) |
73.7 (23.2) |
82.5 (28.1) |
86.0 (30.0) |
84.9 (29.4) |
79.6 (26.4) |
67.1 (19.5) |
52.3 (11.3) |
40.6 (4.8) |
63.3 (17.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.6 (−2.4) |
32.0 (0.0) |
42.0 (5.6) |
53.6 (12.0) |
64.0 (17.8) |
72.9 (22.7) |
76.3 (24.6) |
74.7 (23.7) |
68.1 (20.1) |
55.9 (13.3) |
42.9 (6.1) |
32.6 (0.3) |
53.6 (12.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.2 (−7.1) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
32.1 (0.1) |
43.1 (6.2) |
54.3 (12.4) |
63.4 (17.4) |
66.6 (19.2) |
64.6 (18.1) |
56.6 (13.7) |
44.8 (7.1) |
33.5 (0.8) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
43.8 (6.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −21 (−29) |
−18 (−28) |
−3 (−19) |
21 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
43 (6) |
52 (11) |
42 (6) |
33 (1) |
21 (−6) |
4 (−16) |
−15 (−26) |
−21 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.60 (66) |
2.07 (53) |
2.71 (69) |
4.33 (110) |
4.65 (118) |
4.68 (119) |
4.06 (103) |
3.41 (87) |
3.06 (78) |
3.57 (91) |
3.71 (94) |
2.59 (66) |
41.44 (1,053) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.1 | 7.6 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 12.8 | 10.3 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 108.1 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Shelbyville
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 385 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,330 | 245.5% | |
| 1870 | 2,051 | 54.2% | |
| 1880 | 2,939 | 43.3% | |
| 1890 | 3,162 | 7.6% | |
| 1900 | 3,546 | 12.1% | |
| 1910 | 3,590 | 1.2% | |
| 1920 | 3,568 | −0.6% | |
| 1930 | 3,491 | −2.2% | |
| 1940 | 4,092 | 17.2% | |
| 1950 | 4,462 | 9.0% | |
| 1960 | 4,821 | 8.0% | |
| 1970 | 4,887 | 1.4% | |
| 1980 | 5,259 | 7.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,943 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 4,971 | 0.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,700 | −5.5% | |
| 2020 | 4,674 | −0.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 4,700 people living in Shelbyville. These people lived in 2,093 homes. About 27.6% of these homes had children under 18 living there. Many homes, about 49.6%, were married couples living together.
The people in Shelbyville are of different ages. About 23% were under 18 years old. About 21.9% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 40 years.
Lake Shelbyville Dam
The Kaskaskia River has a Dam where it crosses the Shelbyville Moraine. This dam created Lake Shelbyville.
The Army Corps of Engineers started building the dam in 1963. It was finished in the summer of 1970.
Famous People from Shelbyville
Shelbyville has been home to many interesting people!
- George A. Bowman (1890–1957) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
- Orval Caldwell (1895–1972) was a painter and once led the Art Institute of Chicago.
- George D. Chafee (1839–1927) was an Illinois state lawmaker and lawyer.
- Josephine Cochran (1839–1913) invented and received a patent for the dishwasher in 1886.
- Augusta Cottlow (1878–1954) was a talented concert pianist.
- Jesse Monroe Donaldson (1895–1970) served as the Postmaster General of the United States from 1947 to 1953.
- Howland J. Hamlin (1850–1909) was the Illinois Attorney General from 1901 to 1905.
- Samuel Wheeler Moulton (1821–1905) was an Illinois politician and Congressman. He is known as the "father of public education" in Illinois. He lived in Shelbyville for many years.
- Robert Marshall Root (1863–1937) was a well-known painter.
- Anthony Thornton (1814–1904) was a state representative and Congressman. He was also a justice on the Supreme Court of Illinois. He even debated Abraham Lincoln in Shelbyville in 1856.
Education in Shelbyville
Shelbyville is part of the Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4. This district includes Shelbyville High School. The city was also once home to Sparks College, a business school that opened in 1908 and closed in 2009.
Images for kids
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The Shelbyville Dam
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Dam Road, looking west
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A statue of Abraham Lincoln in front of the Shelbyville Courthouse
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See also
In Spanish: Shelbyville (Illinois) para niños
