What is the history of Knoxville, Illinois?
Knoxville was established on January 15, 1831, and called Henderson until its name was changed to Knoxville on December 22, 1832. It was one of the first 10 municipalities incorporated in the state and is the oldest town in Knox County. Knoxville was the county seat until 1873, when the county seat was moved to Galesburg. The first Knox County Courthouse, completed in 1839, and second Knox County jail, completed in 1845, still stand in Knoxville and are registered on the National Register of Historic Places. The two buildings and Knoxville’s first general store, the Sanburn Log Cabin, build in 1832, have been restored and are open to the public. The county’s Hall of Records, built in 1854, is used as Knoxville’s City Hall. The Old Knox County Jail was the location of the only legal hanging in Knox County when John Osborne was hung March 14, 1873, for the murder of Adelia M. Mathews, Yates City. Source:
