Moweaqua, Illinois

Moweaqua is a city in Shelby and Christian counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,831 at the 2010 census.

Moweaqua
Village
Location of Moweaqua in Christian County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 39°37′31″N 89°1′4″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyShelby, Christian
Government
 • MayorD. Boomer Neece
Area
 • Total2.12 sq mi (5.50 km2)
 • Land2.12 sq mi (5.50 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
630 ft (190 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total1,831
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
1,714
 • Density807.35/sq mi (311.65/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
62550
Area code(s)217
FIPS code17-51232
Wikimedia CommonsMoweaqua, Illinois
Websitemoweaqua.org

Geography

Moweaqua is located at 39°37′31″N 89°01′04″W.[3]

According to the 2010 census, Moweaqua has a total area of 1.77 square miles (4.58 km2), all land.[4]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880673—
189084826.0%
19001,47874.3%
19101,5132.4%
19201,5915.2%
19301,478−7.1%
19401,366−7.6%
19501,4758.0%
19601,6149.4%
19701,6874.5%
19801,92213.9%
19901,785−7.1%
20001,9237.7%
20101,831−4.8%
Est. 20191,714[2]−6.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,923 people, 772 households, and 541 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,720.0 people per square mile (662.9/km2). There were 819 housing units at an average density of 732.6 per square mile (282.3/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 99.17% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.

There were 772 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the village, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,114, and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,195. About 7.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Moweaqua is served by the Central A&M School District, which was established in 1993, and also includes the city of Assumption as well as the nearby rural areas. Central A&M High School (grades 9-12) and Gregory Intermediate School (3-5) are located in one building on the northern edge of Moweaqua. The high school enrollment is approximately 300 students, and their teams are known as the Raiders. The Girls' Varsity Basketball team went to the state competition in 2008 and won third place. The Central A&M FFA Chapter is also a successful chapter in section, district and State FFA Events, as well as community service activities.

History

From 1891 until 1935, Moweaqua was the site of a gassy coal mine that mined coal from Pennsylvanian strata. On the morning of December 24, 1932, fifty-four coal miners, the entire day shift, were killed by a methane gas explosion in the Moweaqua coal mine disaster. The incident occurred on the morning of Christmas Eve, and one of the deceased miners, Tom Jackson, had been scheduled to play Santa Claus in a party to be held that evening for his fellow townspeople. The tragic explosion, together with the election in the previous month (November 1932) of the pro-labor Seventy-Third Congress, led to the passage of mine safety legislation and the phaseout of open-flame carbide miner's lanterns in United States coal mines. The Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum opened in 1986 to commemorate local coal miners, especially the victims of this disaster.[7]

The 2009 movie "The Informant" starring Matt Damon was partially filmed in Moweaqua.[8] The plot of the movie is based on the ADM price fixing scandal which occurred during the 1990s. The scandal centered on ADM Vice President Mark Whitacre who lived in Moweaqua during the time. Filming reportedly took place at the former Whitacre residence as well as the local restaurant now known as "The Hog Trough Too" which Whitacre frequented while living there. The former Whitacre residence, located approximately 1 mile west of the Moweaqua city limits, was originally owned by the step-grandfather of former ABC president James E. Duffy. Mr. Duffy lived there for a time during his boyhood, and his time there, and his formative relationship with his step-grandfather, was documented in his 1997 autobiography, "Stay Tuned."

Notable people
  • Cecil Coombs, outfielder for the Chicago White Sox
  • Ron Ferrari, San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker 1982-1986[9]
  • Thomas Candy Ponting (1824-1916), known as the "Cattle King of Central Illinois", drove the first herd of cattle from Texas to New York City in 1854.
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References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  4. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. "The Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum". Illinois Labor History Society. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  8. "The Informant! filming locations (IMDb)". Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  9. "Ron Ferrari". Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2012-08-22.
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