Bill Text: IL HR0370 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulates the County of Fayette on the occasion of its 200th year.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-05-30 - Resolution Adopted [HR0370 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-HR0370-Introduced.html

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HR0370 LRB102 18740 LAW 27298 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate Fayette County on the
occasion of its 200th anniversary; and
WHEREAS, Fayette County was established from Bond, Wayne,
Clark, Crawford and Jefferson counties on February 14, 1821,
becoming Illinois' 18th county; it was named in honor of Marie
Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de
Lafayette, the famous French general who fought for the
colonies in the Revolutionary War; it was formed as necessary
for Vandalia, having been selected as the second capital of
the State, to be located within a county with suitable
dimensions; and
WHEREAS, Vandalia was the home to three of the State's
capitol buildings from 1819 to 1839, including the Vandalia
State House, which was built in 1836 and was the fourth capitol
building of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Abraham Lincoln, elected from Sangamon County,
arrived in Vandalia to take his seat in the legislature on
November 29, 1834, where he first formulated his thoughts on
slavery and served until the capitol moved to Springfield in
March 1839; and

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WHEREAS, The National Road, proposed by Thomas Jefferson
in 1803 and authorized by Congress in 1806, began in
Cumberland, Maryland in 1811 and ended in Vandalia in 1837; it
served as an important escape route for slaves seeking freedom
through the Underground Railroad, with 24 stations located
across Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties
serving as stops along the way; and
WHEREAS, The 705.5-mile Illinois Central Railroad was
joined by a golden spike one mile south of Ramsey on January 5,
1855, officially opening the then-longest railroad in the
world; and
WHEREAS, Fayette County was home to three men, all
Democrats, who attained political heights in Illinois
government; of the three, two had deep family roots in the
county; William M. Farmer, born near Shobonier, was elected to
the House of Representatives in 1891 and named to the Illinois
Supreme Court in 1906, where he served on the bench for 25
years; Arthur Roe, born in Shafter, was elected to the House of
Representatives in 1913 and served as Speaker of the House
from 1933 to 1935; Don E. Brummet, having moved to Vandalia in
1939, was elected to four terms in the House of
Representatives from 1971 to 1979; and

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WHEREAS, Fayette County is the final resting place of 12
veterans of the American Revolution, James Starrett Carson,
James Cheshier, Samuel Davis, Henry Ginger, Wooten Harris,
Benjamin Jones, Thomas Mahon, Isaac Martin, John Morrell,
Benjamin Todd, James Verden, and Henry Walker, and their
heroic service created a nation; and
WHEREAS, Fayette County is the only county in the State
whose courthouse was once a private residence; and
WHEREAS, Fayette County is home to four locations listed
on the National Registry of Historic Places; the Floyd and
Glenora Dycus House, located at 305 S. Second Street in
Brownstown, was listed on March 2, 2001; the First
Presbyterian Church, located at 301 W. Main Street in
Vandalia, was listed on March 24, 1982; the Little Brick
House, located at 621 St. Clair Street in Vandalia, was listed
on June 4, 1973; the Historic Vandalia Statehouse, located at
315 W. Gallatin in Vandalia, was listed on January 21, 1974;
and
WHEREAS, Fayette County is divided into 20 townships,
which are Avena, Bear Grove, Bowling Green, Carson, Kaskaskia,
LaClede, Lone Grove, Loudon, North Hurricane, Otego, Pope,
Ramsey, Sefton, Seminary, Shafter, Sharon, South Hurricane,
Vandalia, Wheatland, and Wilberton; it is home to the cities

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of St. Elmo and Vandalia; it includes the villages of Bingham,
Brownstown, Farina, Ramsey, and St. Peter; it also includes
the unincorporated communities of Augsburg, Avena, Bayle City,
Bluff City, Confidence, Dressor, Hagarstown, Loogootee,
Pittsburg, Shafter, Shobonier, Saint Paul, and Vera; and
WHEREAS, Fayette County will celebrate its 200th
anniversary at the Bicentennial Open House hosted by the
Fayette County Genealogical and Historical Society at the
Fayette County Museum on June 12, 2021; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
we congratulate the County of Fayette on the occasion of its
200th year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Historic Vandalia, Inc. as an expression of our
esteem and respect.