Galesburg
City
"Welcome to Galesburg" sign
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Knox
Township	Galesburg City
Coordinates	40°57′8″N 90°22′7″W / 40.95222, -90.36861
Area	17. List of cities in Illinois, arranged in alphabetical order but does not include towns villages or unincorporated communities The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Knox County is a County located in the US state of Illinois. As of 2000 the population was 55836 Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. 1 sq mi (44 km²)
- land	17. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 1 sq mi (44 km²)
Density	1,994. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 9 /sq mi (770 /km²)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	61401
Area code	309
Location of Galesburg within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, in the United States. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving Areas using UTC−6 Single zone countries Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala The Central Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting six hours from UTC during standard time ( UTC−6) and five hours during Daylight saving UTC−5 is the Time offset used in the North American Eastern Time Zone during Standard time and in the North American Central Time Zone during Area code 309 is a Telephone Area code serving the state of Illinois. Knox County is a County located in the US state of Illinois. As of 2000 the population was 55836 The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the As of the 2000 census, the city population was 33,706. It is the county seat of Knox County. A county seat is a term for an Administrative center for a County, primarily used in the United States. ^[1] Galesburg is home to Knox College, a private four-year liberal arts college, and Carl Sandburg College, a two-year community college. Knox College is a four-year Coeducational private liberal arts college located in Galesburg Illinois. Carl Sandburg College is a two-year Community college based in Galesburg Illinois, and serving the west-central Illinois region It is also the selfproclaimed home of the Galesburg pie, made with tweetle berries.

Galesburg is the principal city of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Knox and Warren counties. The Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in west central Illinois Warren County is a County located in the US state of Illinois.

Geography

Outline of the Township area and the City of Galesburg in Knox County.

Galesburg is located at 40°57′8″N, 90°22′7″W (40. 952292, -90. 368545). ^[2] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census 1 square miles (44. 2 km²), of which, 16. 9 square miles (43. 8 km²) of it is land and 0. 2 square miles (0. 5 km²) of it (1. 05%) is water.

History

Galesburg was founded by George Washington Gale, a Presbyterian minister from New York state, who dreamed of establishing a manual labor college which became Knox College. George Washington Gale ( 1789 -1861 was born in Stanford New York and became a Presbyterian minister in western New York state New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous College ( Latin collegium) is a term most often used today to denote an Educational Institution. A committee from New York purchased 17 acres (69,000 m²) in Knox County in 1835, and the first 25 settlers arrived in 1836. The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U They built temporary cabins in Log City near current Lake Storey, just north of Galesburg, having decided that no log cabins were to be built inside the town limits.

Galesburg was home to the first anti-slavery society in Illinois, founded in 1837, and was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and Safe houses used by 19th century Black slaves in the United States [1] The city was the site of the fifth Lincoln-Douglas debate, on a temporary speaker's platform attached to Knox College's Old Main building on October 7, 1858. The Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate and the incumbent Stephen A Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Knox College continues to maintain and use Old Main to this day. An Underground Railroad Museum and Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum are planned for Knox College's Alumni Hall after it is renovated.

Galesburg was the home of Mary Ann Bickerdyke, who provided hospital care for Union soldiers during the American Civil War. Bickerdyke in old age Mary Ann Bickerdyke ( July 19, 1817 - November 8 Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South After the Civil War, Galesburg was the birthplace of poet, author, and historian Carl Sandburg, poet and artist Dorothea Tanning, and former Major League Baseball star Jim Sundberg. Carl August Sandburg ( January 6, 1878 &ndash July 22, 1967) was an American writer and editor best known for his Poetry Dorothea Tanning (born August 25 1910) is an American painter printmaker sculptor and writer James Howard Sundberg (born May 18 1951 in Galesburg Illinois) is a former Professional baseball catcher for a number of teams most significantly Carl Sandburg's boyhood home is now operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency as the Carl Sandburg State Historic Site. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is a governmental agency of the U The site contains the cottage Sandburg was born in, a modern museum, the rock under which he and his wife Lilian are buried, and a performance venue.

Throughout much of its history, Galesburg has been inextricably tied to the railroad industry. Local businessmen were major backers of the first railroad to connect Illinois' (then) two biggest cities—Chicago and Quincy—as well as a third leg initially terminating across the river from Burlington, Iowa, eventually connecting to it via bridge and thence onward to the Western frontier. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Quincy Illinois, known as the " Gem City " is a city on the Mississippi River in Adams County, Illinois, United States Burlington is a city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad sited major rail sorting yards here, including the first to use hump sorting. The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. A ( US and Canada) classification yard or ( UK and Canada) marshalling yard (including hump yards) is a Railroad

A BNSF train passes through central Galesburg.

In the late 19th century, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway connected its service through to Chicago, it also laid track through Galesburg, making this city one of relatively few to be served by multiple railroads and even fewer to have multiple railroad depots. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. (Indeed, it was not until the 1990s that Amtrak finally closed the old Santa Fe depot and consolidated all passenger operations at the site of the former Burlington Northern depot. The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 ) A series of mergers eventually united both tracks under the ownership of BNSF Railway, carrying an average of seven trains per hour between them. The BNSF Railway headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the four remaining Transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in As of the closing of the Maytag plant in fall of 2004, BNSF is once again the largest private employer in Galesburg. Maytag Corporation was a $47 billion home and commercial appliance company headquartered in Newton Iowa from 1893-2006

In addition, Galesburg was home to the pioneering brass era automobile company Western, which produced the Gale, named for the town. The automotive Brass Era is the first period of automotive manufacturing named for the prominent Brass Fittings used during this time for such things as lights and Western Tool Works was a pioneering Brass era Automobile manufacurer in Galesburg Illinois. ^[3]

Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Galesburg, operating the California Zephyr, the Illinois Zephyr, the Carl Sandburg, and the Southwest Chief daily in both directions between Chicago and points west from Galesburg (Amtrak station). The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Doing business as Amtrak, is a Government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 The California Zephyr is a 2438-mile (3924-km long Passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Western United The Illinois Zephyr is a 258-mile (415 km Passenger train operated by Amtrak that runs between Chicago and Quincy Illinois. The Southwest Chief (formerly the Southwest Limited) is a Passenger train operated by Amtrak along a 2256-mile (3631-km route through Union Station is a Chicago Train station that opened in 1925 replacing an earlier 1881 station and is now the only Intercity rail terminal in Chicago The Galesburg Amtrak station is a train station in Galesburg, Illinois, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 33,706 people, 13,237 households, and 7,902 families residing in the city. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The population density was 1,994. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 9 people per square mile (770. 1/km²). There were 14,133 housing units at an average density of 836. 5/sq mi (322. 9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84. 23% White, 10. 20% African American, 0. 22% Native American, 1. 03% Asian, 0. 02% Pacific Islander, 2. 46% from other races, and 1. 84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5. 01% of the population. 17. 4% were of German, 12. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as 6% American, 11. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 5% Irish, 11. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate 3% Swedish and 9. 1% English ancestry according to Census 2000. The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English

There were 13,237 households out of which 26. 3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43. 6% were married couples living together, 12. 4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40. 3% were non-families. 34. 6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. 24 and the average family size was 2. 87.

In the city the population was spread out with 21. 1% under the age of 18, 11. 8% from 18 to 24, 27. 0% from 25 to 44, 22. 0% from 45 to 64, and 18. 1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100. 3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98. 1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,987, and the median income for a family was $41,796. Males had a median income of $31,698 versus $21,388 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,214. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country About 10. 7% of families and 14. 7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 4% of those under age 18 and 6. 3% of those age 65 or over.

Galesburg will soon be home to the National Railroad Hall of Fame. The US National Railroad Hall of Fame was established in 2003 and recognized by Congressional resolutions in 2003 and 2004 Efforts are underway to raise funds for the $60 million project which got a major boost in 2006, when the United States Congress passed a bill to charter the establishment, and provided some federal funding for the project. It is hoped that the Museum will bring tourism and a financial boost to the community.

Festivals

Galesburg is the home of the Railroad Days festival held on the fourth weekend of June. The festival began in 1978. During the festival, Carl Sandburg College hosts one of the largest model railroad train shows and layouts in the U.S. Midwest. Model railroading (US or Railway modelling (UK Australia and Canada is a Hobby in which Rail transport systems are modeled at a reduced scale Labor Day weekend in September hosts the Stearman Fly in. Stearman Aircraft Corporation was an Aircraft manufacturer established by Lloyd Stearman at Wichita Kansas in 1927. Also held in September are the Great Cardboard Boat Regatta and the Annual Rubber Duck Race held out at Lake Storey. The third weekend of every August a Civil war and Pre 1840's Rendezvous is held at Lake Storey Park.

The Black Earth Film Festival has been a part of the Galesburg art community since 2004. Affiliated with the Galesburg Civic Art Center, the festival receives entries from all over the world. The Black Earth Film Festival takes place in September and presents the best in feature length, short subjects, documentaries, animation and foreign films. Awards are given for the aforementioned categories, as well as a peoples choice award for best overall film. Festival highlights include special guests from within the film industry. Past participants have included Director John D. Hancock (Bang The Drum Slowly, Prancer, Let's Scare Jessica to Death,) Filmmakers Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank (subjects of the award Winning Documentary American Movie)and Filmmakers Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos (Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. ) For information on the Black Earth Film Festival go to www. blackearthfest. com.

There is also a kite festival every May at Lake Storey Park.

Trivia

• According to legend, it was in Galesburg, Illinois in 1914 where the four Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Gummo) first received their nicknames. The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television Leonard Marx, known as Chico, ( March 22, 1887 &ndash October 11, 1961) was one of the Marx Brothers. Arthur Marx (previously Adolph Marx) popularly known as Harpo Marx ( November 23, 1893 &ndash September 28, 1964 Milton Marx ( October 23, 1892 - April 21, 1977) known as Gummo, was one of The Marx Brothers. Nicknames ending in -o were popular in the early part of the 20th century, and a fellow Vaudevillian, Art Fisher, supposedly bestowed them upon the brothers during a poker game there. The Marx Brothers were a popular team of sibling Comedians who appeared in Vaudeville, stage plays film and television Zeppo Marx received his nickname later. Herbert Manfred Marx ( February 25, 1901 &ndash November 30, 1979) is best known as Zeppo Marx, the name he used when he performed

• Galesburg features prominently in The Mountain Goats' song Weekend in Western Illinois from the album Full Force Galesburg. The Mountain Goats is a band led by American Singer-songwriter John Darnielle. Full Force Galesburg is an album by The Mountain Goats. It consists of songs written and recorded by John Darnielle.
• The Carr Mansion in Galesburg was the site of the first and only presidential cabinet meeting held outside of Washington, DC
• Galesburg is mentioned in the book The Prestige. The Prestige is a 1995 novel by British writer Christopher Priest.
• Writer Jack Finney, author of The Body Snatchers, uses Galesburg as a setting for several of his time-travel tales in About Time: Twelve Stories. Jack Finney ( October 2, 1911 – November 14, 1995) was an American author The Body Snatchers is a 1955 Science fiction novel by Jack Finney, originally serialized in Colliers Magazine in 1954 which describes

Media

Galesburg has multiple radio stations and newspapers delivering a mix of local, regional and national news. WGIL-AM, WAAG-FM, WLSR-FM and WKAY-FM are all owned by Galesburg Broadcasting while Prairie Radio Communications owns WAIK-AM. The Galesburg Register-Mail is the result of the merger of the Galesburg Republican-Register and the Galesburg Daily Mail in 1928. Those two papers can trace their roots back to the mid-1800s. A daily, it is the main newspaper of the city, and was owned by Copley Press out of San Diego until it was sold to Gate House Media in April 2007. The Zephyr was started in 1989, is published on Thursdays and is the only locally-owned newspaper. There is also The Paper, which is delivered without subscription to all households every Wednesday and is also owned by Gate House Media.

FM Radio

• 90. 7 WVKC "The Voice of Knox College", College Radio
• 92. WVKC (907 FM) is a 1000-watt Radio station in Galesburg Illinois, in west-central Illinois. 7 WLSR "92. 7 FM The Laser", Active Rock (RDS - Artist/Title)
• 94. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock 9 WAAG "FM 95", Country (RDS - Artist/Title)
• 95. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. 7 WVCL, Religious
• 97. 7 WMOI "Sunny 97. 7", Adult Contemporary (RDS)
• 100. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in 5 W263AO (Translates 91. 5 WCIC), Christian AC (RDS)
• 105. WCIC is a Christian radio station licensed to Pekin Illinois and owned by the Illinois Bible Institute, the educational branch of the Illinois District Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is 3 WKAY "105. 3 KFM", Adult Contemporary (RDS - Artist/Title)

AM Radio

• 1330 WRAM, Classic Country
• 1400 WGIL, News/Talk
• 1590 WAIK, News/Talk/Sports

Print

• The Paper, local weekly (free) newspaper
• Register-Mail, local daily newspaper
• The Zephyr, local weekly newspaper

Notable residents

• Mary Ann Bickerdyke, also known as "Mother Bickerdyke," famous American Civil War nurse for the Union Army
• George Radcliffe Colton, Governor of Puerto Rico, 1909–1913
• Edwin H. Conger, congressman, diplomat, lawyer
• Ira Clifton Copley, publisher and statesman, founder of the Copley Press
• George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., inventor of the Ferris Wheel
• Aaron Fike and A. J. Fike, NASCAR drivers
• Todd Hamilton, professional golfer
• Phil Hare, congressman
• Tim Lawson, author
• Emily Arnold McCully, children's book author, winner of the 1993 Caldecott Medal
• Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the United States
• George Reeves, actor, played Superman in popular 1950s television show (brief residency in infancy)
• Paul W. Talk radio is a Radio format containing discussion about topical issues Bickerdyke in old age Mary Ann Bickerdyke ( July 19, 1817 - November 8 The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. George Radcliffe Colton (1865 or 1866&mdash1916 was the Governor of Puerto Rico from November 6, 1909 to November 5, 1913, a position The Governor of Puerto Rico is the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Edwin Hurd Conger (March 7 1843 &ndash May 18 1907 was a nineteenth century politician lawyer and banker from Illinois and Iowa. Ira Clifton Copley (b 25th October 1864 in Galesburg, Illinois, d Copley Press is a privately held Newspaper business originally founded in Illinois, but now based in La Jolla California. George Washington Gale Ferris Jr ( February 14, 1859 - November 22, 1896) invented the Ferris wheel, for the 1893 Chicago A Ferris wheel (also known as an observation wheel or big wheel) is a Nonbuilding structure consisting of an upright wheel with passenger gondolas attached Aaron Fike (born November 24, 1982) is a NASCAR and USAC driver from Galesburg Illinois. AJ Fike is an American racecar driver He was born on December 29, 1980 and resides in Galesburg Illinois. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. PGA Tour wins (2 2004 (2 Honda Classic, British Open Major championship is shown in bold Philip G "Phil" Hare (born February 21, 1949) is currently the Democratic Congressman representing ( map Emily Arnold McCully is a children's author who was born in Galesburg Illinois, in 1939 but grew up in Garden City New York. George Reeves ( January 5, 1914 &ndash June 16, 1959) was an American Actor, best known for his role as Superman in the Robsky, member of Eliot Ness' Untouchables, born in Galesburg, 1897
• Carl Sandburg, American poet, historian, novelist, and folklorist
• Jim Sundberg, Major League Baseball player
• Dorothea Tanning, American painter, printmaker, sculptor and writer
• Charles Rudolph Walgreen, founder of Walgreens
• Pete Weber, sports broadcaster
• Sewall Wright, evolutionary biologist, a founder of modern population genetics

References

External links

• Economic Development
• Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Lincoln-Douglas Debate in Galesburg
• City of Galesburg
• CarlSandburg.net: A Research Website for Sandburg Studies
• Carl Sandburg Historic Site Association
• The Galesburg Project lists famous Galesburgers and visitors. Links to Galesburg history articles
• Local papers:
  • The Register-Mail (daily)
  • The Zephyr (weekly)
  • The Paper (weekly, free)
• Galesburg, Illinois is at coordinates 40°57′08″N 90°22′07″W / 40.952292, -90.368545 (Galesburg, Illinois)Coordinates: 40°57′08″N 90°22′07″W / 40.952292, -90.368545 (Galesburg, Illinois)