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The first settler of Fulton County was Ossian Ross, who came to the site of Lewistown in 1821 to claim his land grant of one-quarter section in the Military Tract of Illinois. In 1822, the town site of Lewistown was laid out and named for Lewis, Mr. Ross’s eldest son. The first Court House of Fulton County was built in Lewistown from hewn logs in 1823. The first brick and stone courthouse was later erected in 1838 and served until December of 1894 when it was destroyed by fire. The current Fulton County Courthouse was built in 1897 to replace the earlier Courthouse destroyed by fire.
AREA LINKS Buells Marine City of Canton, Illinois C.A.R. Financial Canton Illinois Chuck Taylor State Farm Cracklin’ Jake’s Restaurant & Cafe McDonald's MidAmerica National Bank
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700 East Oak, Room 301, Canton, IL 61520
Fulton County was the site of Camp Ellis, an 17,000 acre U.S. Army training facility, during World War II. World War II brought forth a great national effort in the United States. The Fulton County Villages of Table Grove and Ipava along with the unincorporated hamlet of Bernadotte were to be significantly impacted by the national mobilization efforts to wage and win a war. The Lewistown Project, the early code name for Camp Ellis, began with the taking and vacating of 17,800 acres of land stretching eastward and northward of Table Grove to Ipava on the east and Bernadotte on the northeast. Construction of the camp commenced on September 17, 1942. On April 15, 1943 Camp Ellis was officially turned over to its first Commanding Officer, Colonel Basil D. Spalding one month ahead of schedule. The official dedication of Camp Ellis was held on July 14, 1943 with over 50,000 visitors in attendance. Camp Ellis went nearly as quickly as it came to the area. In November of 1944, the training unit was officially terminated with remaining training activities being greatly reduced. The area occupied by Camp Ellis returned to individual ownership in the 1950s and few signs of the Camp’s existence remain. Portions of the rifle range, a couple POW barracks, water towers and part of the water processing plant near Bernadotte are all that remain. The impact of the Camp on the community was great; Table Grove, Ipava and Bernadotte had made their contribution to the massive war effort of our nation in the Great War. The area east and northeast of Table Grove is still referred to by local folks as--"The Camp."
AREA LINKS Farmers State Bank Bank of Farmington Fulton County Historical and Genealogical Society Fulton County
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Pictures by Bill Burnham
The early railroads of Fulton County played an important role in the history and development of Fulton County as railroads did in many parts of the country
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LINKS State Representative The
Sweet Shoppe Fulton County Playhouse Ipava State Bank City of Lewistown
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