Sciota, Illinois: Difference between revisions

Template:Geobox Sciota (pronounced /saɪ.ˈoʊ.də/) is a village in McDonough County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58 at the 2000 census.

Sciota is located at 40°33′39″N 90°45′06″W / 40.56083°N 90.75167°W / 40.56083; -90.75167 (40.5608731, -90.7517996) at an elevation of 758 ft (231 m).^[1] According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), all of it land.

The village of Sciota lies in an area of prime farmland^[2] with soil classified as Mollisols.^[3]

Sciota is situated directly east of the headwaters of an unnamed tributary of Spring Creek, itself a tributary of the East Fork La Moine River.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 58 people, 27 households, and 19 families residing in the village. The population density was 182.7 people per square mile (70.0/km²). There were 32 housing units at an average density of 100.8/sq mi (38.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 100.00% White.

There were 27 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.63.

In the village the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 75.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $28,750, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,280. There were no families and 4.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 28.6% of those over 64.

Sciota was laid out in September 1867 by William B. Clarke and was called Clarkesville in his honor. Another town in Illinois already had been named Clarksville (without the "e") so when the new town's post office was established on February 7, 1868, it was called Amicus.^[6] This discrepancy between town name and post office name led the residents to change both names to Sciota, after Sciota Township in which the town lies (Sciota Township was named after the Scioto River in Ohio).^[7] The Illinois General Assembly approved the name change on March 29, 1869.^[8]

A Christian church was erected in 1869,^[9] a Baptist church in 1871,^[10] and a school building in 1872.^[11]

In 1878, Sciota was the largest grain market in McDonough County.^[12] At that time, the primary crops were corn and oats; now, the village is surrounded by fields of corn and soybeans.

A newspaper, The Sciota Sentinel, was published by H. C. Harl around 1895 but only one issue seems to have survived (October 17, 1895, no. 49).^[13]

Sciota is accessed by car from the south via McDonough County road East 800th Street (County Highway 13) which intersects with Illinois Route 9 1/2 mile south of the village. East 800th Street is called Buel Street within the village proper and extends north to the county line.

The village of Sciota conforms to a grid plan comprised of nine streets:

• Buel Street (north-south; also known as Main Street, East 800th Street, and County Highway 13)
• Clark Street (north-south)
• Clay Street (north-south)
• Douglas Street (east-west)
• Fillmore Street (east-west)
• Jacob Street (east-west)
• Jefferson Street (north-south)
• Seymour Street (east-west)
• Washington Street (north-south)

Sciota is served by the Keokuk Junction Railway.^[14] As of January 2010, there were two rail sidings. There is one grade crossing protected by a pair of crossbucks with flashing lights and a mechanical warning bell (no gates).

The businesses in Sciota primarily are tied to the agricultural needs of the surrounding area. A grain elevator, Farmers Elevator Co., is situated along the railroad and two crop service companies are located in Sciota. The village also has an auto mechanic, Baker's Garage.^[15]

Sciota has one church, the Christian Church of Sciota. A Methodist church, built in 1919 near the corner of Clay and Seymour streets, was razed in 1999.^[16] Sciota is served by a United States post office (ZIP code 61475)^[17] and a station of the Good Hope/Sciota Fire Protection District. West Prairie High School (formerly Northwestern Jr./Sr. High School) is located approximately 1/2 mile south of Sciota.

Ross Newman was born in Sciota in 1912 and later rose to prominence in the oil industry.^{[citation needed]}

Callary, E. (2008). Place Names of Illinois. Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252033568

Clark, S. J. (1878). History of McDonough County, Illinois: Its Cities, Towns and Villages, with Early Reminiscences, Personal Incidents and Anecdotes, and a Complete Business Directory of the County. Springfield, Ill.: D. W. Lusk. Internet Archive. Retrieved on January 2, 2010.