Carthage is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census. Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, who founded the Latter Day Saint movement.
History
The first European-American settlers arrived in Carthage and in Hancock County in the first few decades of the 19th century. By 1833, they had erected simple buildings in Carthage, and the town was platted in 1838. By then Carthage had been designated as the county seat of Hancock County.
The only person legally hanged in Hancock County, Efram Fraim, had been defended in his trial by roaming country attorney Abraham Lincoln. Fraim was found guilty of murder. Lincoln filed an appeal with the judge in the trial, which was as far as most appeals in those days went. Because Carthage then had no jail, Fraim was kept at the courthouse, which was next to the school. Fraim conversed with the children from his second-floor window. As a result of those conversations, most of the school children were present when their new friend, Efram, was hanged. The hanging is believed to have taken place near the current city sewer plant east of town, where a natural amphitheater allowed for a crowd to view the spectacle.
While they were incarcerated in the Carthage Jail in June 1844, Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed by a mob on Thursday, June 27, 1844.
On October 22, 1858, Lincoln spoke in Carthage while he was campaigning for the US Senate. A large stone on the south side of the Courthouse Square commemorates the spot.
Over the years, the jail has been modified and used for different purposes. For a while, it was home to Carthage College. The jail has been restored to a close approximation of its appearance in 1844 and is now owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The site, a full city block, is a historical visitor's center.
The regionally-noted botanist, philanthropist, and traveler Dr. Alice L. Kibbe called Carthage home. Along with her personal collections, Carthage's Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum houses a variety of exhibits celebrating local and regional history.
Carthage is the only city in Illinois to have all of the jails that it has ever used still in existence: the old jail, called the Mormon Jail; the jail next built, which was also the Sheriff's residence, is on the south side of Courthouse Square; and the new jail, which is on Highway 136 in the city's west side.
The Hancock County Courthouse in Carthage was built in 1908 and is the third courthouse for the county. It is at the center of the square in Carthage.The courthouse and the shops surrounding the square have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986.
Geography
Carthage is located near the center of Hancock County. U.S. Route 136 runs through the center of town as Buchanan Street.
According to the 2010 census, the city has an area of , all land.
In June 2006, development property on the east side of Carthage was voluntarily annexed into the city limits. This property totaled approximately , all land except for an lake.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the 2010 Census, there were 2,605 persons living in 1,151 households in Carthage. With an area of 2.44 square miles, the population density was 1,067 persons per square mile. There were 1,308 total housing units, with an average density of 536 per square mile. Racially, 97.3% of Carthage residents identified themselves as white, 0.3% identified as Black/African American, 0.3% were Native American, and 0.4% identified themselves as Asian. No residents identified themselves as Pacific Islander. 0.5% of the remaining population identified themselves as belonging to some other race, while 1.2% belonged to multiple races. Between all races, 2.0% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
2007–2011 Census data showed that 19.2% of Carthage residents were under the age of 18, while 22.6% of the population was over the age of 65. The median age in Carthage was 44.0 years, and there were 88.3 males for every 100 females. Of residents over the age of 15, 50.8% of persons were married. Of persons over the age of 25, 93.2% had earned at least a high school diploma, 19.2% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher, and 7.2% of persons held a graduate degree.