Many Areas In-State, Named After Revolutionary War Heroes

By Tom Emery

Though action in Illinois during the American Revolution was limited, many locales in the state are named for Revolutionary War figures, and you don’t have to look far to find examples.

Several towns and over twenty Illinois counties are named in honor of individuals who had some tie to the fight for independence. Five Illinois counties are named for men who signed the Declaration of Independence, including Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, Carroll, and Lee.

The Revolutionary influence is indicative of the reverence that early Americans had for the men who struggled for independence from Great Britain. The war lasted from 1775-83, ending a mere thirty-five years before Illinois achieved statehood in 1818.

“The Revolution was still fresh in people’s minds, and the country was still young,” said Dr. Samuel Wheeler, the former Illinois State Historian. “We didn’t have hundreds of years of American history to go on. The Revolution had been a common experience that Americans shared.”

Clark County is named for George Rogers Clark, whose daring capture of Kaskaskia, in present-day southwestern Illinois, on July 4, 1778 secured that key outpost for the Continental cause. Clark followed up with a hard-fought victory at Vincennes on Feb. 25, 1779 in one of the most significant American victories in the western theater.

Nearby, Moultrie County honors William Moultrie, a general in the Revolution who defended Fort Moultrie in Charleston harbor. That is the same battle that Sgt. William Jasper, the namesake of Jasper County, also fought with distinction.

Other examples include Montgomery County, named for Richard Montgomery, an American general who lost his life in the frontal assault on Quebec on Dec. 31, 1775. Morgan County honors

Daniel Morgan, one of George Washington’s most trusted generals, as was Nathaniel Greene, the namesake of Greene County.

The Greene County seat, Carrollton, is named for Charles Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In Schuyler County, Rushville is for Dr. Benjamin Rush, who served as Surgeon General of the Continental Army.

Rush, who died in 1813, is credited with helping Thomas Jefferson and John Adams reconcile their long friendship. Some of Rush’s students later founded Rush Medical College in Chicago in his honor.

In southern Macoupin County, Bunker Hill takes its name from the early battle of the Revolution in 1775. Accordingly, the sports teams at the local high school are called the “Minutemen.”

Some believe that Lexington, a village in McLean County whose sports teams are also nicknamed “Minutemen,” is named for the Revolutionary battle of April 1775.

Elsewhere, the Morgan County town of Franklin honors Benjamin Franklin, the beloved patriot and scientist who trails only Gen. Washington in the number of places named for him nationwide.

Abraham Lincoln, the martyr of a later war, is third.

Fayette County is for Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman who devoted his life to the American cause and became a close friend of Washington. The beloved Marquis’ return visit to America in 1825 brought him to Illinois, where he was greeted with lavish balls and throngs of admirers.

Names of Declaration signers and Revolutionary figures also adorn dozens of schools and landmarks statewide.

Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence, mostly lawyers, merchants, or landowners. All thirteen colonies were represented in the signatures on the document, which was dated July 4, 1776.

While that day is commonly celebrated as America’s birthday, the Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2. John Adams, one of the signers, later wrote that July 2 would be marked with fireworks and celebrations.

In addition, the Declaration was not actually signed until a ceremony on August 2, though not all of the fifty-six signers were in attendance.

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Ill. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or [email protected].