| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to congratulate Mayor Jackie D. | ||||||
4 | "Butch" Mathus, Jr. and the City of Wamac on the occasion of | ||||||
5 | the city's 100th anniversary; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, On July 5, 1913 a special election was held to | ||||||
7 | incorporate Wamac into a city, which was previously recognized | ||||||
8 | as a village; and
| ||||||
9 | WHEREAS, Many of the original residents of Wamac were | ||||||
10 | Italian, and some of the same families are still living in | ||||||
11 | Wamac today, a testament to how well-liked the city is by its | ||||||
12 | residents; and
| ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Wamac was named by A.P. Bindham, who derived the | ||||||
14 | name from the counties that mark the city's boundaries; "WA" | ||||||
15 | comes from Washington County, "MA" comes from Marion County, | ||||||
16 | and "C" comes from Clinton County; and | ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, The first mayor elected to serve the city of Wamac | ||||||
18 | was C.A. Campbell; and | ||||||
19 | WHEREAS, At the 2010 census, the population of Wamac was | ||||||
20 | 1,185 people; and |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, This year, an open house was held at Wamac City | ||||||
2 | Hall on July 5, and the "Wamac Fest" will be held on September | ||||||
3 | 21, 2013 in celebration of the city's 100th anniversary; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, Wamac is known for being the site of the Number 5 | ||||||
5 | Coal Mine disaster; on March 25, 1947 at 3:26 p.m., an | ||||||
6 | explosion occurred in the mine; 142 coal miners were working at | ||||||
7 | the time, 8 of them were rescued and 23 escaped, leaving 111 | ||||||
8 | miners dead; a memorial in Wamac City Park is dedicated to the | ||||||
9 | miners who lost their lives in the disaster so that they may | ||||||
10 | always be remembered; and
| ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Wamac is the home of the first female voter in | ||||||
12 | Illinois, O.W. Coleman, who voted in an Illinois special | ||||||
13 | election on July 5, 1913, which incorporated Wamac as a city; | ||||||
14 | and
| ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, Wamac was originally founded due to its excellent | ||||||
16 | location - its proximity to railroad, oil, and liquor stores in | ||||||
17 | an otherwise dry area made it an ideal place to settle down; | ||||||
18 | therefore, be it
| ||||||
19 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
20 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
21 | we congratulate the City of Wamac on its 100th anniversary; and |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | be it further
| ||||||
2 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
3 | presented to Mayor Mathus and the City of Wamac as a symbol of | ||||||
4 | our respect and esteem.
|