Bath, Illinois

Bath is a village in Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 279 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020"/>

History

The area was first settled in 1828 by John Stewart and John Gillespie from the state of Kentucky. Future 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, was the one to survey the land on November 1, 1836. The settlement's name is thought to have originated from English settlers who thought that the area resembled Bath, England. Bath would serve as the county seat of Mason County from 1843 to 1851.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Bath would also become the name of the township when it was formed in 1861. The community was incorporated as a village in 1876.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The village is home to the Gatton Mansion at 9805 IL-78. Built c. 1856, it was the home of Major Benjamin Gatton (b. 1808) of Kentucky. Gatton served as the settlement's first postmaster when it was established in 1842.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The two story house contains 16 rooms, two center halls, and once a large pool. Gatton is noted as being alive in 1876 but is thought to have died not long after and the home became property of the Blakely family for decades. The home was used by multiple owners before being abandoned in the 1990s. In 2017 new owners attempted to restore the property and convert the home into a distillery. However, the price of the restoration was underestimated and the project was abandoned only a year later.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Bath is in southwestern Mason County, on a low bluff overlooking the Illinois River valley to the west. Illinois Route 78 passes through the village center as Oak Street, leading northeast (upriver) Template:Convert to Havana, the county seat, and south Template:Convert to Chandlerville.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Bath has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2022"/> The East Branch of the Illinois River, a channel that forms the east side of Grand Island, serves as the northwest border of the village.

Demographics

Template:US Census population As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 310 people, 130 households, and 86 families residing in the village. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 153 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the village was 96.45% White, 0.32% African American, 0.97% Native American, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population.

There were 130 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $30,208, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $27,250 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $10,262. About 22.2% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 3.2% of those 65 or over.

Events

Bath is host to the annual midsummer Redneck Fishing Tournament.<ref>Redneck Fishing Tournament Accessed July 18, 2011.</ref>

Notable people

• Mark Clark, pitcher for several Major League Baseball teams; grew up in Bath

References

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