Pence

History

Pence was founded in September 1902 by Frank R. Pence, who purchased of land for the purpose. In 1903, Pence became the smallest town in the United States to have a central water system. In the early part of the 20th century, Pence had numerous businesses including a grain elevator, a blacksmith shop, a welding and machine shop, a lumber yard, a coal yard, the Bank of Pence (which closed in the 1920s), a hotel (which also housed the post office for a time), restaurants, a general store, grocery stores, a hardware store, a weekly newspaper, a funeral home, a jewelry store, and various others. As of 1913, the population was about 150. Pence had a baseball team from 1910 to 1955, and also had a basketball team (the Pence Aces). The post office operated from October 12, 1903, to April 5, 1957.

Geography

Pence is located less than a mile east of the Indiana-Illinois state line and a quarter mile from Jordan Creek, which flows southwest toward the Vermilion River. It is on County Road 300 North, which (in Illinois) runs into the town of Rossville about 9 miles to the west.

Largest nearby schools

• Seeger Memorial Jr-Sr High School
  High · West Lebanon · 620 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Warren Central Elementary School
  Elementary · West Lebanon · 371 students · 18.6:1 ratio