Coles County, Illinois

Coles County was organized by on December 25, 1830, from Clark and Edgar counties. It was named after Edward Coles, the second governor of Illinois, from 1822 to 1826. The majority of the American settlers who founded Coles County were either from the six New England states, or were born in upstate New York to parents who had moved to that region from New England shortly after the American Revolution. They were part of a wave of farmers who headed west into the frontier of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. The completion of the Erie Canal led to an increase in such migrants heading west. When these settlers originally reached what is today Coles County, they found dense virgin forest and prairie. The New England settlers laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their "Yankee" values, such as staunch support for abolitionism as well as a passion for education. They quickly established schools in their communities. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church, though some were Episcopalian. As a result of the second Great Awakening, many had become Baptists or switched to Protestant denominations such as Methodism or Presbyterianism before moving to what is now Coles County. The prevalence of settlers with New England heritage resulted in their establishing a culture that was continuous with that of New England for the first several decades of its history. As a result of this, county residents largely supported abolitionism in the antebellum period, and also the Republican Party as of the 1850s and 1860s. Beginning in 1849, numerous German immigrants arrived in Coles County, refugees from the rebellions the year before in various principalities. This population overwhelmingly supported the abolition of slavery. Irish Catholic immigrants who had fled the famine in their country also settled here. Illinois Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas was extremely popular amongst Irish Catholic immigrants in Coles County at this time. During the Civil War the Irish Catholic community of Coles County would overwhelmingly be Copperheads. File:Coles_County_Illinois_1830.png|Coles County from the time of its creation to 1843 File:Coles County Illinois 1843.png|Coles County between 1843 and 1859 File:Coles County Illinois 1859.png|Coles County reduced to its current size in 1859 by the creation of Douglas County ==Folklore representation in other media==

Coles County has generated several well-known legends and folktales, including the Mad Gasser of Mattoon and accounts of the ghost of Mary Hawkins at Pemberton Hall. Michael Kleen has compiled many of these tales, including the "witch's grave" of St. Omer Cemetery and the story of "Rag Doll Cemetery," in his book Tales of Coles County, Illinois (2010). The legend of "Rag Doll Cemetery" was adapted for the screenplay of the independent film Rag Doll, filmed in 2010 primarily in and around Mattoon, Illinois. The novel A Family Possessed (2000) by L. W. Stevenson, is based on a rural family's account of poltergeist activity at their home in the 1980s. Ashmore Estates has long been a part of local folklore. Originally serving as the almshouse at the Coles County Poor Farm, it is considered a haunted attraction and a place of interest for paranormal investigators. ==Geography==

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.}} In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Charleston have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in July. Adjacent counties • Douglas County - north • Edgar County - northeast • Clark County - southeast • Cumberland County - south • Shelby County - southwest • Moultrie County - west Major highways • Interstate 57 • US Route 45 • Illinois Route 16 • Illinois Route 49 • Illinois Route 121 • Illinois Route 130 • Illinois Route 133 Public transit • Dial-A-Ride Rural Public Transportation • Mattoon station ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 46,863. The median age was 38.8 years, with 19.5% of residents under the age of 18 and 19.0% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 87.1% White, 4.4% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.8% of the population. Of the county's residents, 73.7% lived in urban areas while 26.3% lived in rural areas. There were 19,861 households in the county, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.0% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 23,425 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.9% white, 3.8% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. Of the 21,463 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 44.3% were non-families, and 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 31.6 years. ==Communities==

Cities • Charleston (seat) • Mattoon • Oakland Villages • Ashmore • Humboldt • Lerna Census-designated places • Janesville • Trilla Unincorporated communities • Bushton • Campbell • Coles • Cooks Mills • Diona • Dorans • Embarrass • Etna • Fairgrange • Fuller • Hutton • Jones • Kings • Lipsey • Loxa • Magnet • Newby • Paradise • Rardin • Wabash Point Townships Coles County is divided into these twelve townships: • Ashmore • Charleston • East Oakland • Humboldt • Hutton • Lafayette • Mattoon • Morgan • North Okaw • Paradise • Pleasant Grove • Seven Hickory ==Education==

Tertiary: • Eastern Illinois University • Lake Land College • Lakeview College of Nursing (Charleston) School districts in the county include: • Arcola Consolidated Unit School District 306 • Arthur Community Unit School District 305 • Casey-Westfield Community Unit School District 4C • Charleston Community Unit School District 1 • Kansas Community Unit School District 3 • Mattoon Community Unit School District 2 • Oakland Community Unit School District 5 • Sullivan Community Unit School District 300 ==Politics==

Coles County leans strongly towards the Republican Party in Presidential elections. Although it was carried by Illinoisian Barack Obama in 2008, the GOP regained the county in 2012 and the next presidential elections. ==Notable people==

• Thomas Lincoln, father of President Abraham Lincoln, moved to Coles County in 1831 and died there in 1851. ==See also==