Cass Morgan, IL-2020 Overlay

COUNTY CHRONICLES

Cass County

Mason County Established in 1841, the area was originally part of Tazewell County, which was formed in 1827. The name was chosen by the influence of immigrants from the Blue Grass State. Formed in 1789, Mason County, Kentucky lies along the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky. The Kentucky County was named for George Mason (1725-1792), a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, who also became a member of the Virginia Convention of 1775 and the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was adopted in June 1776. With its fertile soil, Mason County has long been one of the leading agricultural areas in the state, earning the title, “The Imperial Valley of the Midwest.” Five barge terminals line the

Cass County was formed out of the northern part of Morgan County in 1837, and an additional three-mile strip was added to Cass from Morgan in 1845. The county was named for Lewis Cass (1782-1866) who achieved a remarkable career in public service. Cass was born in New Hampshire, where he attended Exeter Academy. He moved to Wilmington, Delaware in 1799 and there taught school. In 1801, he settled on a farm near Zanesville, Ohio. He studied

banks of the Illinois River to facilitate the movement of agricultural products. The county’s transportation needs are further served by seven major highways, the Chicago and North Wes- tern Railroad and the Illinois Midland Railway. Mason County is also home to the Jake Wolf Memorial Fish Hatchery, Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge, Sand Ridge State Forest, Mason State Tree Nur- sery, and the Sanganois Conservation Area. Abraham Lincoln and

law and was admitted to the bar in 1802, then became a member of the Ohio State House of Representatives. He was serving as United States Marshal for the District of Ohio 1807- 1812, when he resigned to enlist in the Army. He served in the U.S. Army from 1813-1814, attaining the rank of Brigadier General. Next came services as military and civil Governor of the Michigan Territory, 1813-1831, Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson from 1831 to 1836 and Envoy to France, 1836-1842. Cass was elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1845, until May 29, 1848, when he resigned, having been nominated to run for President of the United States on the Democratic ticket in 1848. He was again elected to the United States Senate on January 20, 1849, to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation, was re-elected, and served from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1857, serving as President pro tempore during the 33rd Congress. Appointed Secretary of State by President James Buchanan, Cass served from 1857 until 1860, at which time he returned to Detroit, Michigan to engage in literary pursuits. He died in Detroit on June 17, 1866. Counties in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas are also named for him.

Stephen Douglas both spoke in Rockwell Park on separate days in August 1858 during their senatorial campaigns before their famous debates began. Rockwell Mound, in Rockwell Park, is the second-largest Indian mound in the Midwest, dating back 2,000 years.

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