History

American Indian Communities in Havana's past

Dickson Mounds State Museum

site of 800-year-old burial mounds

across the Illinois River in Fulton County

Rockwell Mound

second largest Indian mound in the Midwest

dates back 2,000 years

Rockwell Park, Havana

Camp for early European Explorers

1678

Father Marquette and Louis Joliet

Founding of the town of Havana

Survey of Havana

In 1827, while the area was Tazewell County

Stephen Dewey surveyed the town for Ossian M. Ross

plat recorded in Pekin, Illinois

Incorporation

as a town in 1848

first city ordinance dated 2 Mar 1848

incorporated as a city under general law in 1873 (mayor-alermanic form)

Named for the capitol of the Isle of Cuba

Abraham Lincoln Era

Lincoln and Stephen Douglas spoke in Rockwell Park

on separate days during their senatorial campaigns

both in August 1858, before their famous debates began

Wildlife and Recreational Sporting

By 1900, Havana was known for fishing and waterfowl hunting

rich and fertile Mississippi flyway, home to migrating waterfowl

market hunters filled the tables of the fine Chicago restaurants with ducks and geese from Havana

Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge

Today, nearby 4,500 acre maintains habitat for migrating waterfow.

Nicknamed Little Reno

Al Capone, the Chicago gangster

developed floating casinos on the Illinois River

Gambling and entertainment were well-known throughout Mason County

Halloween 1953 raid on 14 Mason County casinos and taverns by 52 state troopers closed the games.

For more information:

The Havana Public Library contains many books and papers about the history of Havana.