Savanna, Illinois

Savanna is a city in Carroll County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,945 at the 2010 census, down from 3,542 in 2000. Savanna is located along the Mississippi River at the mouth of the Plum River. Going from north to south, the second automobile bridge between Iowa and Illinois is located just north of Savanna, and is part of U.S. Route 52. The bridge leads to Sabula, Iowa, which is across the river from Savanna. Savanna is also served by two major railroads, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) Railway Company and the (CP) Canadian Pacific. Savanna also has a small airport, The Tri-Township Airport (KSFY).

Savanna
City
Pulford Opera House in downtown Savanna.
Location of Savanna in Carroll County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°5′24″N 90°8′24″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCarroll
TownshipSavanna
Government
 • MayorChris Lain
Area
 • Total2.71 sq mi (7.02 km2)
 • Land2.62 sq mi (6.78 km2)
 • Water0.09 sq mi (0.24 km2)
Elevation600 ft (200 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3,062
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
2,797
 • Density1,069.19/sq mi (412.74/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
61074
Area code(s)815
FIPS code17-67821
Wikimedia CommonsSavanna, Illinois
Websitehttp://www.savannaillinois.com

Savanna is protected by the Savanna Police, Fire Department and Ambulance Service. All three organizations maintain stations on Chicago Avenue. The three organizations were located in the same building (a throwback to when the fire department was responsible for the ambulance) but the original building only houses the fire department and one of the backup centers for Carroll County 911 dispatch. Savanna formerly had its own hospital, but this has since been converted to an assisted living facility, Pinnacle Place. All ambulance patients are transported to Mercy Medical Center in Clinton, Iowa or other Illinois hospitals. The Savanna Ambulance is one of two in the county to have paramedic certified members (a distinction shared with the Mount Carroll Volunteer Ambulance.)

History

The region was once part of the vast hunting grounds of different native American tribes, including the Sauk. Following the Treaty of St. Louis (1804) and a number of additional treaties, land in Illinois along the Eastern bank of the Mississippi River was opened to settlement by farmers. Towns such as Savanna grew their commerce by using the river for efficient transport. Savanna's earliest settlers experienced some repercussions during the Black Hawk War in 1832.[4]

Savanna Army Depot

In 1917, the United States Army purchased 13,062 acres (53 km2) of land about seven miles (11 km) north of Savanna to construct the Savanna Army Depot. Originally the land was to be used as a test range for munitions produced at the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois. In 1921, the mission of the installation was changed to be a depot.[5]/. From World War II through Vietnam, Savanna Army Depot served as a munitions maintenance and storage facility for traditional, chemical, and nuclear weapons.

With about 2,000 highly trained civilian employees holding Government security clearances working there in the '60s, this base was guarded and protected by the 516th Military Police Company, U.S. Army Materiel Command. Armed with .45 caliber sidearms, 12 gauge pump-action shotguns, state-of-the-art electronic surveillance systems, gas masks, etc. as standard daily issue, these 300 highly educated and very well trained MP's ensured 24/7 safety and security for all concerned. The 516th's primary mission, however, was to operate and defend what was then known as the "J Area" - where the munitions were actually stored and handled by civilian employees. Nothing went in or out of the J Area without MP scrutiny - including employee lunch boxes. Fast-forward ...

By 1995, the Savanna Army Depot was identified by U.S. Congress as one of the bases that would be closed under the Base Realignment and Closure Act or BRAC. On March 18, 2000, the Savanna Army Depot was closed.[6]

The Jo-Carroll Depot Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) was established in 1997 by an intergovernmental agreement between the Illinois counties of Jo Daviess and Carroll to redevelop the former Savanna Army Depot.[7]

These are some of the many companies that have chosen an area onsite called "Savanna Depot Park" as their home.[8]

  • Area 51 LLC, a grain bin operation
  • Bryer Productions, a photography business
  • Commander’s House at the Savanna Army Depot, owned by A&B Holdings, plans are to make the house a destination for corporate and family retreats
  • Depot Electric Supply [9]
  • Fluidic MicroControls, which is doing research and development on micro turbines [10]
  • Illinois Information Management, which is leasing its space for office use
  • Illinois International Trade Center, operated by the Jo-Carroll Foreign Trade Zone
  • Jeanblanc International Inc, which specializes in advanced environmental technologies for the oil industry [11]
  • Midwest 3PL (Third Party Logistics), a full-service warehousing operation
  • Rescar, a railcar repair company.[12]
  • Riverport Railroad LLC, which services, repairs and stores railcars as well as coupling long lines of rail cars for the BNSF [13]
  • Savanna Stables, which owns former barracks and a barn that SolRWind plans to lease or buy
  • Speer Recycling, a metal recycler

Geography
The Dale Gardner Veterans Memorial Bridge between Savanna and Sabula, Iowa

Savanna is located at 42°5′24″N 90°8′24″W (42.090069, -90.140050).[14]

Mississippi River view from Mississippi Palisades State Park near Savanna Illinois. Railroad freight train in the scene. BNSF line

According to the 2010 census, Savanna has a total area of 2.714 square miles (7.03 km2), of which 2.62 square miles (6.79 km2) (or 96.54%) is land and 0.094 square miles (0.24 km2) (or 3.46%) is water.[15]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1850658—
186082525.4%
187097117.7%
18801,0003.0%
18903,097209.7%
19003,3257.4%
19103,69111.0%
19205,23741.9%
19305,086−2.9%
19404,792−5.8%
19505,0585.6%
19604,950−2.1%
19704,942−0.2%
19804,529−8.4%
19903,819−15.7%
20003,542−7.3%
20103,062−13.6%
2019 (est.)2,797[3]−8.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]

As of the 2010 U.S. Census,[17] the total population was 2945 people. The racial makeup of the city was 94.6% White, 1.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.[17]

Total Housing Units were 2,355, out of which, 15.8% were vacant. 38.5% were built before 1939. There were 1,320 owner occupied housing units. 24.5% had a value of less than $50,000, 38.9% were valued from $50,000 - $99,000, 21.2% were valued from $100,000 - $149,000, and 15.0% were valued at $150,000 or more.[18]

There were 1,948 households and 1,154 families residing in the city, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.[19]

The age groups within the population were 23.5% under the age of 19, 4.8% from 20 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.1 years. Males made up 50.2% of the total population while females made up 49.8%.[17]

The median income for a household in the city was $35,050 and the median family income was $51,848. About 15.0% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.[19]

Today

The downtown area has revived since the mid-1990s closing of the army depot with the addition of new ornamental lighting to complement the late 19th century buildings. The city is trying to draw more shops to the main street in hopes of becoming more of a weekend destination, like nearby Galena. Havencrest Castle has also been revived and is a historical art gallery that attracts visitors to the Savanna area.[20]

The Savanna Chamber of Commerce and other community groups sponsor several activities throughout the year that include: the annual Ladies Day Out Luncheon, Savanna Celebrates Independence Day parade and festival, Halloween Parade, the popular Shadfly Festival and a downtown Christmas Walk.[21]

Savanna contains the only stoplight in all of Carroll County.[22]

Notable people

Savanna has produced many notable natives. These include Helen Scott Hay, an American Red Cross nurse during World War I, "America's Waltz King" Wayne King,[23] Hollywood orchestrator Edward B. Powell, professional wrestler Tommy Treichel, Billy Zoom (Tyson Kindell)[24] founding member and original guitarist of the punk band X, MLB player Pete Lister[25] , and former NASA astronaut Dale Gardner.[26]

References
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt visit Savanna on whistle stop tour during 1932 campaign
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. "USGS detail on Newtown". Retrieved 2007-10-21.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. 'The Story of Savanna The First 100 Years', by Alice M. Bowen, 1928. Contributed by N.P. Eichelberger to Carroll County, Illinois Genealogy Trails website. Accessed May 2020.
  5. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/savanna.htm
  6. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/brac.htm
  7. http://www.lrasavannail.us/AboutUs
  8. "Quad City Times - Depot tries to lure businesses". The Quad City Times. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  9. "Depot Electric Supply". Depot Electric Supply. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. "Fluidic MicroControls". Manta.com. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  11. "Jeanblanc International Incorporated". Jeanblanc International Incorporated. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  12. "American Fact Finder". Rescar, Inc. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  13. "Riverport Railroad". Riverport Railroad, LLC. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  14. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  15. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  16. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  17. "U.S. Census website". U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  18. "American Fact Finder". U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  19. "American Fact Finder". U.S. Department of Commerce. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  20. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jan-23-mn-56740-story.html
  21. http://www.savanna-il.com/events.php
  22. http://www.carroll-county.net/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={1D9F3FB5-D57E-4384-B1AE-AF0C5E66FC15}
  23. http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/king_wayne/bio.jhtml
  24. http://www.billyzoom.com/niceguy.html
  25. "Pete Lister bio at Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  26. http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/gardner-da.html
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