“Andover, Illinois,” Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andover,_Illinois (accessed July 31, 2021)

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Andover is a village in Henry CountyIllinoisUnited States. The population was 578 at the 2010 census, down from 594 in 2000.[3]

[Estimate (2019)[2] 572]

History

Andover is the oldest community in Henry County. Andover was the first area to be settled as a town within the county and the first mill was built in 1836-37. Andover some became a hub of wagon trails.

Andover was founded in September, 1835 by the Reverend Ithamar Pillsbury, as an agent for the Andover Colony. Pillsbury, who had been a corporal in the War of 1812 attached in the New Hampshire military, narrowly escaping death in the war which had convinced him to become a Presbyterian minister.

Lars Paul Esbjörn, a Swedish Lutheran minister in the United States, and a group of Swedish immigrants arrived in Andover during 1849. Together they built Jenny Lind Chapel, which became the “mother church” of the Swedish Lutheran community. The church was built with funding provided mainly by the Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, while she was at that time on a concert tour in the eastern United States. The cemetery adjacent to the Chapel is the resting place of Jonas Swensson, the second president of the Augustana Synod.[4]

After remodeling in 1948, Jenny Lind Chapel was dedicated as a shrine of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1975, Jenny Lind Chapel was declared to be a National Historic Site and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

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Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.
1880302
1890259−14.2%
1900238−8.1%
1910222−6.7%
192028126.6%
1930197−29.9%
194024825.9%
19502563.2%
196029515.2%
197042042.4%
198061245.7%
1990579−5.4%
20005942.6%
2010578−2.7%
2019 (est.)572[2]−1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 594 people, 220 households, and 174 families residing in the village. The population density was 594.8 people per square mile (229.3/km2). There were 226 housing units at an average density of 226.3 per square mile (87.3/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.48% White, 0.17% Native American, 0.84% Asian, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population. 27.8% were of Swedish, 26.8% German, 10.2% Irish, 7.7% English and 5.7% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 220 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.9% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,944, and the median income for a family was $49,821. Males had a median income of $40,000 versus $26,625 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,439. About 4.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

  1. ^ “2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files”. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  2. Jump up to:a b “Population and Housing Unit Estimates”. United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ City data. 2000 census information Retrieved on May 16, 2007
  4. ^ History of Andover Township (Portrait and Biographical Album of Henry County Illinois, 1885)[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Jenny Lind Chapel (The Lutheran Journal, Vol. 60, #3, 1991)”. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
  6. ^ “US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990”United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ^ “G001 – Geographic Identifiers – 2010 Census Summary File 1”United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  8. ^ “Census of Population and Housing”. Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ^ “U.S. Census website”United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

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“Andover Tourism: Where Tradition Meets Progress,” https://sites.google.com/site/andovertourism/home (accessed July 31, 2021)

  • Andover – a hidden treasure you must see:
  • the place where Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, left a lasting footprint

Andover, which is celebrating its 185th+One birthday this year (click on June Festival link for details) , is strategically located between the Quad-Cities (22 miles), Galesburg (28 miles), Geneseo (18 miles), and Kewanee (22 miles).  Within this western Illinois area of over 400,000 persons, you will find the amenities usually only offered in large cities:  shopping, educational opportunities, recreation, art, museums, healthcare facilities, and restaurants.
Served by Interstate 74 and IL Route 81, Andover is a community where some 600 persons live, work, raise a family, and retire.  Old historic homes are blended with new homes and historic buildings as you travel in all four directions from the former colony square – now the beautiful ten-acre Andover Lake Park.  This brief video and these photos highlight Andover’s tourist attractions.

Andover Historical Society
The Andover Historical Society (AHS) was organized in 1967 for the purpose of preserving and maintaining historical buildings, records, lore and memorabilia of the Village and Township of Andover and surrounding communities.  It also promotes tourism, and encourages people to enjoy Andover’s historical treasures.  The AHS owns two historical buildings – the Andover Historical Museum and the American Woman’s League Chapter House (for details about these sites, please click on the “Places to Visit” tab on the left side).  The AHS meets the third Tuesday of April, June, September and November at the American Woman’s League Chapter House at 1 pm. To become a member, or to make a donation, please list your name, mailing address, and make your check payable to Andover Historical Society, c/o Bonnie Bandelow, Treasurer, 903 17th Ave., Silvis, IL  61282.  The individual annual membership is $10, individual life membership – $50, family annual membership – $20, business annual membership – $25, and business life membership – $250.

Lisa Huntsha has been named part-time curator for the AHS.  She will be working on preservation of historical artifacts, books, records and documents at the two historical buildings; as well as seeking grants to help develop education programs for students of all ages.  She is also the part-time curator for the Jenny Lind Chapel Immigration Museum.  Lisa is the archivist/librarian for the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL.  A descendant of Swedish immigrants, she graduated from Augustana in 2010 with a degree in Scandinavian Studies; and went on to get her master’s degree in Museum Studies from Syracuse University in 2011.  She is passionate about both preserving the past and helping others connect the past with the present. 
The website is:   andoverhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/about

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