HR0256 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0256 LRB101 11903 ALS 58933 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Clark County was formed out of Crawford County in 1819; at that time, Clark County included about a third of Illinois and extended as far north as the present state of Wisconsin; and

WHEREAS, Clark County was named for Brigadier General George Rogers Clark, an officer of the Army of Virginia who captured the Northwest Territory from the British during the Revolutionary War and was also the older brother of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition; and

WHEREAS, In 1821, the northern part of Clark County became part of the newly-created Pike County, and the newly-created Fayette County took the western part of Clark County; Edgar County was created from the northern part of Clark County in 1823; the creation of Coles County occupied additional land from western Clark County in 1830; and

WHEREAS, Clark County includes the communities of Casey, Darwin, Marshall, Martinsville, Moonshine, Oilfield, Westfield, and West Union and the townships of Auburn, Casey, Darwin, Dolson, Douglas, Johnson, Marshall, Martinsville, Melrose, Orange, Parker, Wabash, Westfield, and York; and

WHEREAS, The first Clark County Courthouse was a log house in Aurora; in 1823, the county seat was located in Darwin Township; in 1838, the county seat was moved to Marshall by a "vote of the people"; and

WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln tried court cases in the third courthouse in Marshall, and reproductions of several of his court documents are on display near the current County Treasurer's Office; and

WHEREAS, A variety of activities for families and visitors have been planned for the year-long Bicentennial Celebration, including historical displays, presentations, and art exhibits, as well as a trivia night, a "Cheers to 200 Years" dinner, a Music of the Ages program to celebrate over 200 years of melodies, a Smithsonian exhibit, "Crossroads: Change in Rural America," and the Popcorn Festival in Casey; the cemeteries will be marked with information about specific headstones, and the public is encouraged to visit the over 40 cemeteries in the county; and

WHEREAS, The Bicentennial Celebration activities are being sponsored and supported by various communities and organizations, including the Clark County Board, the Clark County Historical Society, the Casey Historical Society, the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce, the Casey United Methodist Church, the Casey-Westfield Arts Hall, the Casey Public Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the Marshall Public Library, the Martinsville Community Center, the Gaslight Art Colony, the Casey Chamber of Commerce, the Clark County Retired Teachers, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the City of Marshall Municipal Band, the Clark County Endowment, and the Clark County Development Organization; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the residents of Clark County on the occasion of the county's bicentennial; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Clark County Board and the Clark County Historical Society as an expression of our esteem and respect.