Clarksville, Illinois Explained

Clarksville
Settlement Type:Unincorporated community
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Illinois
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Clark
Pushpin Map:Illinois#USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Clark within Illinois
Coordinates:39.4517°N -87.7978°W
Established Date:1851
Elevation Ft:656
Population As Of:2000
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:CST
Utc Offset1:-6
Timezone1 Dst:CDT
Utc Offset1 Dst:-5
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:406177

Clarksville is an unincorporated community approximately ten kilometers northwest of the city of Marshall in east central Illinois. The village lies in on the north edge of Clark County in Dolson Township.

History

Clarksville was founded in 1851. In its heyday it hosted the usual variety of services for local farmers and other inhabitants including a blacksmith, general store, school and church. Only the latter (Clarksville Baptist Church, with a Southern Baptist affiliation) has persisted to the present day. Its century-old previous structure was recently vacated in favor of a larger new building completed in 2005. A cemetery between the two structures houses the remains of settlers and area inhabitants, some born in the 18th century.

After decades of decline as increased mobility made small local shops uncompetitive with the larger facilities in nearby towns, Clarksville is enjoying a modest resurgence in population. The damming of Mill Creek directly to the south of the village, and the establishment of an extensive county park along the lake have created demand for several modestly upscale new subdivisions along the north edge of Mill Creek Lake. Several storage facilities provide frequent visitors to the park a means of warehousing their boats near the lake, and a small restaurant/bait shop provides park visitors and locals with a social outlet. A local telephone cooperative provides telephone service to residents of the village and the surrounding area.

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