Moweaqua, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Moweaqua is a village in Shelby County, Illinois
, United States
, and partly in Christian County, Illinois
. The population was 1,831 at the 2010 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,923 people, 772 households, and 541 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,720.0 people per square mile (662.9/km²). There were 819 housing units at an average density of 732.6 per square mile (282.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.17% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.21% from other races
, and 0.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 772 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,114, and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $18,195. About 7.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
as well as the nearby rural areas. Central A&M High School (grades 9-12) and Gregory Intermediate School (3-5) are located in one building on the northern edge of Moweaqua. The high school enrollment is approximately 300 students, and their teams are known as the Raiders. The Girls' Varsity Basketball team went to the state competition in 2008 and won third place.
strata. On the morning of December 24, 1932, fifty-four coal miners, the entire day shift, were killed by a methane gas explosion
in the Moweaqua coal mine disaster. The incident occurred on the morning of Christmas Eve
, and one of the deceased miners, Tom Jackson, had been scheduled to play Santa Claus
in a party to be held that evening for his fellow townspeople. The tragic explosion, together with the election in the previous month (November 1932) of the pro-labor Seventy-Third Congress
, led to the pasasge of mine safety legislation and the phaseout of open-flame carbide miner's lanterns
in United States coal mines. The Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum opened in 1986 to commemorate local coal miners, especially the victims of this disaster.
The 2009 movie "The Informant"
starring Matt Damon
was partially filmed in Moweaqua. The plot of the movie is based on the ADM
price fixing scandal
which occurred during the 1990s. The scandal centered around ADM Vice President Mark Whitacre
who lived in Moweaqua during the time. Filming reportedly took place at the former Whitacre residence as well as the local restaurant now known as "The Hog Trough Too" which Whitacre frequented while living there. The former Whitacre residence, located approximately 1 mile west of the Moweaqua city limits, was originally owned by the step-grandfather of former ABC president James E. Duffy. Mr. Duffy lived there for a time during his boyhood, and his time there, and his formative relationship with his step-grandfather, was documented in his 1997 autobiography, "Stay Tuned."
-Hall's Jewelry and Gifts
-Moweaqua Foods
-Moweaqua Bowl and Cafe
-Timi's Tours
-Old Firehouse Auction
-Ace Auto Repair
-Gene Lower Insurance & Real Estate
-Dollar General
-Moweaqua Farmers Market
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and partly in Christian County, Illinois
Christian County, Illinois
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 34,800, which is a decrease of 1.6% from 35,372 in 2000...
. The population was 1,831 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Decatur is located at 39.625400°N 89.017736°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.9 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,923 people, 772 households, and 541 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,720.0 people per square mile (662.9/km²). There were 819 housing units at an average density of 732.6 per square mile (282.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.17% White, 0.05% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.21% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population.
There were 772 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,114, and the median income for a family was $48,750. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $21,974 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $18,195. About 7.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Moweaqua is served by the Central A&M School District, which was established in 1993, and also includes the city of AssumptionAssumption, Illinois
Assumption is a city in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,168 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Assumption is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
as well as the nearby rural areas. Central A&M High School (grades 9-12) and Gregory Intermediate School (3-5) are located in one building on the northern edge of Moweaqua. The high school enrollment is approximately 300 students, and their teams are known as the Raiders. The Girls' Varsity Basketball team went to the state competition in 2008 and won third place.
History
From 1891 until 1935, Moweaqua was the site of a gassy coal mine that mined coal from PennsylvanianPennsylvanian
The Pennsylvanian is, in the ICS geologic timescale, the younger of two subperiods of the Carboniferous Period. It lasted from roughly . As with most other geochronologic units, the rock beds that define the Pennsylvanian are well identified, but the exact date of the start and end are uncertain...
strata. On the morning of December 24, 1932, fifty-four coal miners, the entire day shift, were killed by a methane gas explosion
Gas explosion
A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from a gas leak in the presence of an ignition source. The principal explosive gases are natural gas, methane, propane and butane, because they are widely used for heating purposes. However, many other gases like hydrogen, are combustible and have caused...
in the Moweaqua coal mine disaster. The incident occurred on the morning of Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
, and one of the deceased miners, Tom Jackson, had been scheduled to play Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
in a party to be held that evening for his fellow townspeople. The tragic explosion, together with the election in the previous month (November 1932) of the pro-labor Seventy-Third Congress
73rd United States Congress
The Seventy-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1935, during the first two years...
, led to the pasasge of mine safety legislation and the phaseout of open-flame carbide miner's lanterns
Carbide lamp
Carbide lamps, properly known as acetylene gas lamps, are simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide with water....
in United States coal mines. The Moweaqua Coal Mine Museum opened in 1986 to commemorate local coal miners, especially the victims of this disaster.
The 2009 movie "The Informant"
The Informant (2009 film)
The Informant! is a 2009 American fact-based comic drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It depicts Mark Whitacre's involvement as a whistle blower in the lysine price-fixing conspiracy of the mid-1990s as described in the 2000 nonfiction book The Informant, by journalist Kurt Eichenwald. The...
starring Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
was partially filmed in Moweaqua. The plot of the movie is based on the ADM
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...
price fixing scandal
Lysine price-fixing conspiracy
The lysine price-fixing conspiracy was an organized effort during the mid-1990s to raise the price of the animal feed additive lysine. It involved five companies that had commercialized high-tech fermentation technologies, including American company Archer Daniels Midland , Japanese companies...
which occurred during the 1990s. The scandal centered around ADM Vice President Mark Whitacre
Mark Whitacre
Mark Edward Whitacre came to public attention in 1995 when, as president of the BioProducts Division at Archer Daniels Midland , he was the highest-level corporate executive in U.S. history to become a Federal Bureau of Investigation whistleblower...
who lived in Moweaqua during the time. Filming reportedly took place at the former Whitacre residence as well as the local restaurant now known as "The Hog Trough Too" which Whitacre frequented while living there. The former Whitacre residence, located approximately 1 mile west of the Moweaqua city limits, was originally owned by the step-grandfather of former ABC president James E. Duffy. Mr. Duffy lived there for a time during his boyhood, and his time there, and his formative relationship with his step-grandfather, was documented in his 1997 autobiography, "Stay Tuned."
Local Businesses
-Papa Ronnies Pizza & More-Hall's Jewelry and Gifts
-Moweaqua Foods
-Moweaqua Bowl and Cafe
-Timi's Tours
-Old Firehouse Auction
-Ace Auto Repair
-Gene Lower Insurance & Real Estate
-Dollar General
-Moweaqua Farmers Market