Experience Hamilton County

Brief Introduction To Hamilton County, Illinois

Cities include: McLeansboro, Dahlgren, Broughton, Belle Prairie City



Working together we make the difference; working together we make these houses our home.

(1920) Taxi stand just south of the McLeansboro square on Washington Street. The people in the picture are Charles Edick, Samuel Thomas Mendenhall, and E. Willie Gullic.

McLeansboro

In the early 1800s, settlers began moving along rivers and up the trails, clearing timber and making a roof over their hopes in a place we now call home. The Village of McLeansborough, later to be spelled as McLeansboro, was named after one such early settler, Dr. William McLean. In 1821 he and several others laid out the plat of our original town when it became the county seat of the new county of Hamilton.

McLeansboro was incorporated in 1842. The first additions of Marshall's and Heard's were done in 1854. McLeansboro was first incorporated as a village in 1874 and then in 1886 was incorporated to a city. Our current courthouse was built in 1938 and dedicated on October 20, 1939. (Pictured on the Right.)

McCoy Memorial Library (pictured left) is located at 130 S. Washington Street, McLeansboro, IL. Once the home of the Aaron G. Cloud family, it was built in 1884. Mr. Cloud died in 1893 and entrusted his house to his daughter Mary E. Cloud McCoy. She and her husband resided in the home for the remainder of their lives. In her will, Mrs. McCoy presented the house to the City of McLeansboro with the stipulation it was to be used, and known, as the Mary E. Cloud McCoy Memorial Library. The library opened on December 13, 1921. The library is one of four buildings in McLeansboro that is listed on the National Trust. The library included Eastlake style ornamentation and has 9 interior fireplaces.

At the time of the 2010 Census, McLeansboro had 1,456 Housing Units and a population of 2,883 people living in an area of 2.29 square miles.


We are open for business!


With the recent completion of a multi-million dollar water project, the City has committed resources improving the delivery of potable water to customers, improving the City’s fire rating by having more hydrants along lines, and reducing the amount of water lost due to leakage.


In 2014, we updated our electrical substation, capable of producing 12 to 15 megawatts of electricity with a redundant operating transformer. Also installed was an electronically operated switch gear for our distribution circuits. Currently we are upgrading our system to 12470Y primary voltage posturing for future expected growth. The Y system provides increased safety with its recloser system. Being environmentally friendly, we are installing wild life protection on our upgraded system and replacing all roadway lighting with new, LED technologies which require less energy for more light. The City of McLeansboro owns its own electrical system which allows us to provide very competitive rates among Midwestern power utilities. Power is provided to the City by Southern Illinois Power Cooperative, a not-for- profit allows revenue to be reinvested in the City’s infrastructure.


We are proud of our six municipal parks totaling almost 70 acres. Offering something for just about everyone, there are developed play areas, fishing docks on Lake McLeansboro, and quiet nature trails along natural waterways. Our parks provide clean and healthy environments for recreation and all-season opportunities to enjoy our natural heritage.


Our civic-minded societies, clubs and organizations offer many opportunities to play a larger part in our community! Christmas on the Square, Fall Festival, Firecracker 5K, Founder’s Day, Fourth of July Celebrations, Hamilton County Fair, Hamilton Memorial Hospital Foundation Dinner, Hamilton County Unit 10 Foundation Dinner, H. Allen Smith Literary Competition, Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast, Lake McLeansboro Crappie Tourney, Fox Hollow Downhill Derby, Lake McLeansboro Bass Tourney, Relay for Life, Rotary St. Patrick’s Day Run, Tiger Run 5K are just some of the community events celebrating what it means to be us, here, now!


We are a City zoned for success. McLeansboro is organized into three residential districts, two business districts, an industrial district and an agriculture district. The area around the square is now part of a historic preservation overlay district which will help to keep the late 19th Century architecture intact and preserve an important part of our past. Much of the square was built between 1880 and 1920, and four buildings within the district are listed with the National Register of Historic Places.


Our businesses range from agribusiness to cupcakes, electronics to basketry, race cars to graphic artists, and many things in-between! While you ponder the many aspects of our community you can eat at one of our 12 restaurants, visit our three museums, or kick back and get prettied up at one of our many beauty salons or our neighborhood barber shop.



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