On Jan. 25, 1826, McDonough County was officially created by the Illinois General Assembly. To recognize the county's bicentennial, a ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m., Monday, Jan. 26 at the flagpole on the west side of the Macomb courthouse to kick-off the yearlong 200th anniversary celebration. A flag-raising ceremony will be held, featuring the McDonough County flag, along with brief remarks by County Board Chair Eric Blakely, Mayor Mike Inman, Sheriff Nick Petitgout and Western Illinois University English Professor Emeritus and Archivist John Hallwas. The Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to conclude the ceremony and mark the start of McDonough County's next 200 years of growth and progress.
Numerous other celebrations will be held throughout the year. Watch the Community News Brief for a special yearly event book coming out in the spring, and other updates on events, program announcements, columns and stories highlighting the county's 200th anniversary.
A Brief History of McDonough County
McDonough County, named for War Hero Commodore Thomas Macdonough, was created from territory that was part of Schuyler County. The county organization was completed June 14, 1830, and Macomb was appointed the county seat in 1831.
During the War of 1812 at the Battle of Plattsburgh, Gen. Alexander Macomb was in charge of the Army, while Commodore Thomas Macdonough was in charge of the Naval Battle on Lake Champlain, which was a decisive United States victory. On Sept. 11, 1814, American forces led by McDonough defeated the British fleet on Lake Champlain, which forced the British land forces to retreat and abandon their invasion of northern New York. While McDonough was protecting the U.S. by sea, Macomb lead American's land forces, successfully defending U.S. soil against British advances.
The McDonough County region, which is part of nearly 5.4 million acres in western Illinois known as the 'Military Tract,' was settled by War of 1812 veterans, who were provided with free or discounted land. As such, the veterans who settled here named the city and the county out of respect for their War of 1812 command leaders. The Military Tract, located between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, encompasses Adams, Fulton, Hancock, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Schuyler and Warren counties.
