Vandalia

History

Vandalia was founded in 1819 as a new capital city for Illinois. The previous capital, Kaskaskia, was unsuitable because it was on the south-east border of the new state and under the constant threat of flooding. The more centrally located townsite, located in Bond County at the time, was hastily prepared for the 1820 meeting of the Illinois General Assembly. In 1821, Fayette County was created, including Vandalia.

The history of the name Vandalia is uncertain. Different theories can be found in almost all of the books written about Vandalia over the years. In her book Vandalia: Wilderness Capital of Lincoln's Land, Mary Burtschi tells of a conversation between one of the original surveyors of the town and a Vandalia resident. The surveyor, Colonel Greenup, explained that Van was suggested by one of the men. He recommended this as an abbreviation to the word vanguard meaning the forefront of an advancing movement. Another suggestion was made for the term dalia, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word dale which means a valley between hills. Greenup takes credit in the conversation for connecting the two terms to form the name Vandalia.

Another possible source of the name is the Vandalia colony, a failed attempt to establish a fourteenth colony in part of what is now West Virginia and Kentucky. The Vandalia colony was named in honor of Queen Charlotte, who claimed descent from the Wendish tribe of Obodrites, also called the Vandals.

Another theory put forth is that Vandalia was named by those who located the state capital in the town; according to the story, they mistakenly thought the Vandals were a brave Native American tribe, rather than of Germanic origins.

The law under which Vandalia was founded included a provision that the capital would not be moved for twenty years. Even before the end of this period, the population center of the state had shifted far north of Vandalia. In 1837, the General Assembly voted to move the capital to Springfield.

On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Vandalia on its nationwide tour, while being returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Vandalia has a total area of 8.116 square miles (21.02 km2), of which 8.1 square miles (20.98 km2) (or 99.8%) is land and 0.016 square miles (0.04 km2) (or 0.2%) is water.

Vandalia is situated on Interstate 70, U.S. Route 40 (the National Road) and U.S. Route 51.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Vandalia had a population of 7,458 and 1,247 families.

The population density was 913.63 inhabitants per square mile (352.75/km2).

The median age was 38.9 years. 15.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 171.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 187.3 males age 18 and over.

98.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,311 households in Vandalia, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.0% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 2.25.

There were 2,629 housing units, with an average density of 322.06 per square mile (124.35/km2). Of all housing units, 12.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.5%.

Income and poverty

The median income for a household in the city was $35,862, and the median income for a family was $48,454. Males had a median income of $28,600 versus $23,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,994. About 16.8% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.9% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Vandalia is governed using the mayor council system. The council consists of eight members elected from one of four wards with each ward electing two members. The mayor along with the city clerk and treasurer are elected in a citywide vote.

Education

The city has a Board of Education. Among the public schools in the city are Jefferson Elementary School and former Central School, which was condemned in 1980. The city's first high school was established in 1858. Vandalia is home to the Okaw Valley Area Vocational Center, which trains high school students in vocational trades. It also serves vocational students from nearby high schools such as those in Greenville and Mulberry Grove. The building trades class at the center each year purchases property in Vandalia, builds a house, and sells the improved property. They have sold 33 homes constructed by students.

Notable people

Alfred Elisha Ames, Illinois and Minnesota politician, physician

Josie Barnes, professional bowler: winner of the 2021 U.S. Women's Open and 2025 USBC Queens

Henry P. H. Bromwell, Illinois politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois

John J. Bullington, Illinois politician

Levi Davis, Illinois Auditor and lawyer

H. Joel Deckard, U.S. Representative from Indiana

William Lee D. Ewing, U.S. Senator and fifth Governor of Illinois

William M. Farmer, Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court

Ferris Foreman, Illinois and California politician, Army colonel

John W. Heavey, U.S. Army brigadier general, chief of the National Guard Bureau

Miles E. Mills, Illinois politician and educator

Frederick Remann, Illinois politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois

June Squibb, Academy Award-nominated actress

In fiction and popular culture

The case of Frier v. City of Vandalia was a case decided by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on the issue of res judicata. The case originally involved a parking dispute in Vandalia but became a pivotal case in civil procedure.

Four US Navy ships have been named for Vandalia.