Morrisonville

History

Morrisonville is a small, rural town in Central Illinois. It is located south of the state's capital, Springfield. Morrisonville has a rich history dating back to a time when it was used as a hunting ground for Native American Indians. Before settlers established a town, four Indian tribes lived on Morrisonville's land, the Sac, Fox, Pottawatomie, and Kickapoo. They competed with each other for buffalo, elk, and deer. Morrisonville was also part of the Black Hawk hunting ground. Since 1492, six flags have flown over what is now Morrisonville, including Spain, France, Great Britain, Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois. Germans have also settled in this area. The Marsch's and Millburgs were directly from Germany and settled there. The town was incorporated under the general city and village law in May 1872. The first board of trustees consisted of the following: C.M. Leiberman, Dr. C. Voorhees, W.T. Ricks, E.S. Shull, and J.R. Hall. Siras Irion was police magistrate. There were a few events that led up to this, such as on June 14, 1851, when Thomas Carlin, a former governor of Illinois, paid $1.25 an acre for land that is now Morrisonville, and in the fall of 1869, when Colonel James Morrison laid out the plat for the town. Colonel Morrison married Mary Ann Carlin in 1842. Mary Ann Carlin's parents were Thomas A. Carlin and Rebecca Huitt Carlin. (Thomas Carlin established the town of Carrollton, Illinois, and the town of Carlinville is named in his honor.) After Carlin purchased the land, he left it to his daughter, and she left it to her husband, Morrison, and then, when the town was established, it was named after him. In fact, on Perrine Street, there is still a house that Colonel Morrison built and lived in with his wife after the town of Morrisonville was…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Morrisonville has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Morrisonville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Morrisonville was on July 14, 1936, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 12, 1899. |source 2 = National Weather Service }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  250
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  236
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  228
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  225
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  218
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  214
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  191
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  156

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2026-01-20
  4 km NW of Ohlman, Illinois
• M 3.26 — 2025-05-13
  7 km SSW of Lerna, Illinois
• M 2.81 — 2024-03-28
  1 km NNE of Germantown, Illinois
• M 2.58 — 2023-10-26
  6 km SSE of Herrick, Illinois
• M 3.12 — 2017-07-01
  9 km SSE of Mulberry Grove, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2004-09-05
  3 km WNW of Saint Peter, Illinois