[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SHAWNEETOWN BICENTENNIAL
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HON. JOHN SHIMKUS
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City of
Shawneetown, Illinois, upon its bicentennial. Shawnetown was
established as a city by the Federal Government in 1810 and is the
oldest chartered city in the State of Illinois.
Shawneetown was home to the first bank in the Illinois Territory,
chartered in 1816 and located in the John Marshall residence near the
Ohio River Bridge. The first State bank in Illinois was built in 1839-
1840 in Shawenetown.
General Marquis de LaFayette, of France, visited Shawneetown in 1825,
as part of his famous tour of America after he had served so valiantly
during the American Revolution.
Shaweetown was flooded by great flood of 1937. The gauge read 66
feet, which was five feet higher than the top of the levee. Following
the 1937 flood, Shawneetown moved three miles west and was surveyed by
the Federal Government.
Today, Shawneetown is the home of Bunge Grain Corporation, Power
Inc., Shawneetown Harbor Service, Inc., a Peabody Coal Company River
Dock and several other small businesses.
I would like to congratulate the citizens of Shawnetown as they
celebrate 200 years of success. May God bless Shawneetown for many
years to come.
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