Henry

History

Henry is named after General James D. Henry and was initially surveyed in 1834. The topography of the land on the west side of the Illinois River, with relatively steep banks rising well above river level, assured early settlers that their homes would not flood. Its slogan, "Best Town in Illinois by a Dam Site", is derived from the city's distinction of having the first lock and dam built on the Illinois River. It was completed in 1870 at a cost of $400,000.

Geography

Henry is located in northern Marshall County and is bordered to the east by the Illinois River, which forms the boundary with Putnam County. Illinois Route 18 passes through the center of Henry as Third Street and School Street, leading southwest across the Illinois River on the Henry Bridge, then east to Streator. Illinois Route 29 passes through the west side of the city, leading north and east to Spring Valley and southwest to Peoria. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Henry has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.85%, are water, The sands and gravels underlying the terrace on which Henry lies were deposited by the Kankakee Torrent about 19,000 BP calibrated years ago. Within the Illinois River valley, these sediments typically range from thick. These and other Wisconsinan coarse-grained, fluvial sands and gravel within Illinois have been named after the city of Henry and are currently known as the Henry Formation, a geological formation. The parts of the Henry Formation which are of fluvial or glaciofluvial origin are designated as the Mackinaw facies of the Henry Formation. The original exposure from which the Henry Formation was named was a former sand and gravel pit that was located along Illinois Highway 29, north of Henry.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Henry-Senachwine Grade School
  Elementary · Henry · 397 students · 13.2:1 ratio
• Midland Elementary School
  Elementary · Lacon · 274 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Midland Middle School
  Middle · Sparland · 196 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Midland High School
  High · Varna · 195 students · 15:1 ratio
• Henry-Senachwine High School
  High · Henry · 142 students · 8.4:1 ratio