Golconda is a city in
Pope
County
, Illinois
, along the
Ohio River. The population was 726
at the 2000 census.
It is the county
seat of Pope
County. The entire city has been designated a state
Historic District.
Geography
Golconda is located at (37.363844, -88.486792).
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), of which, 0.6 square
miles (1.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles
(0.1 km²) of it (5.08%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 726
people, 330 households, and 163 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,287.0
people per square mile (500.6/km²). There were 418 housing units at
an average density of 741.0/sq mi (288.2/km²). The racial
makeup of the city was 95.45%
White, 0.96%
African American, 0.41%
Native American, 0.28%
Asian, 0.55% from
other races, and 2.34% from two
or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 0.41%
of the population.
There were 330 households out of which 22.4% had children under the
age of 18 living with them, 34.2% were
married
couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no
husband present, and 50.6% were non-families. 48.5% of all
households were made up of individuals and 27.3% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 1.98 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age
of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to
64, and 29.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
45 years. For every 100 females there were 77.5 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $19,000, and the
median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income
of $31,250 versus $16,146 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$14,698. About 18.3% of families and 25.0% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 43.1%
of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
History
First
permanent settlement in Pope County in 1798, and a ferry point across the Ohio River that was sometimes called Lusk's Ferry. The town was named
Sarahsville upon organization of the county and town in 1816, but
changed its name to Golconda on January 24, 1817, after the ancient
city of Golkonda in India
.
In
1838-1839 some 13,000 Cherokees crossed
the Ohio River here by ferry on their
"Trail of Tears" To Oklahoma
.
Among the many historic buildings built in the latter half of the
19th century is the First Presbyterian Church (built in 1869). It
is the oldest continuous
Presbyterian
congregation in Illinois. The church was organized in 1819.
Notable residents
- John R. Hodge, (June 12, 1893 - November 12, 1963),
born in Golconda, IL, Military Governor of South Korea preceding
Korean War and Commanding General of the U.S. Third Army
- Green B. Raum, Union general during the American Civil
War; postbellum U.S. Congressman and head of the Internal Revenue
Service.
See also
References
External links
- http://www.visitgolconda.com/
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