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Randolph
County, Illinois
The people of Randolph
County want you to know that this
is “Where Illinois Began.” It’s their
motto, because of the region’s role in the
settlement of the state. Archaeological
evidence reveals that around 8000 B.C., the
limestone bluff today known as the Modoc
Rock Shelter once provided refuge for
prehistoric hunters, and later for early
Indian tribes in the area.
The county was named for Edmund Randolph, a
noted Revolutionary War soldier and
statesman, U.S. attorney general and former
Governor of Virginia. In fact, the area that
is now Randolph County
was once part of the Commonwealth of
Virginia. Virginia eventually ceded its
frontier holdings to the Continental
Congress which, in 1787, established the
Northwest Territory. In 1790, Ohio Governor
Arthur St. Clair proclaimed what is now
downstate Illinois to be called St. Clair
County. On October 5, 1795, roughly the
southern half of then St. Clair County
became Randolph County.
The population of the largely agricultural
Randolph County is about 34,000, and the
county seat is Chester. Other cities in
Randolph County include Ellis Grove, Percy,
Red Bud, Steeleville and Walsh. Chester is
the birthplace of Elzie Segar, the creator
of the cartoon character “Popeye, the
Sailor Man.” A statue stands next to the
Chester Bridge as a tribute. In addition,
the annual “Popeye Picnic” is held the
weekend following Labor Day.
Randolph County is home to one of the
state’s largest parks. Randolph
State Park provides 1,101 acres
of fishing, hiking, picnicking, boating,
hunting and camping opportunities, all just
five miles northeast of Chester.
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