| Murphysboro, Illinois | |
| Official Name: | City of Murphysboro |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | "Ripe with possibilities" |
| Image Map1: | Illinois in United States (US48).svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Illinois in the United States |
| Coordinates: | 37.7672°N -89.3372°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jackson |
| Subdivision Type3: | Townships |
| Subdivision Name3: | Murphysboro, Somerset |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1843 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 13.81 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 5.33 |
| Area Land Km2: | 13.59 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 5.25 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.22 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.09 |
| Elevation Ft: | 410 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 7093 |
| Population Density Km2: | 521.86 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1351.56 |
| Timezone1: | CST |
| Utc Offset1: | -6 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -5 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Code(s) |
| Postal Code: | 62966 |
| Area Code: | 618 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 17-51453 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2395141 |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Wikimedia Commons |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | Murphysboro, Illinois |
Murphysboro is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Illinois, United States.[2] The population was 7,093 at the 2020 census. The city is part of the Metro Lakeland area. The mayor of Murphysboro is Will Stephens. The government consists of the mayor and 10 city aldermen.
According to the 2010 census, Murphysboro has a total area of 5.235sqmi, of which 5.15sqmi (or 98.38%) is land and 0.085sqmi (or 1.62%) is water.[3] The city is located 5miles southeast of Kinkaid Lake. Although Murphysboro is only 10 miles east of the Mississippi River, the nearest access point to the river is in Grand Tower, a roughly 30 minute drive southwest.
As part of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa), a small number of cold hardy palm trees are able to grow in Murphysboro which can live year-round, and may be found sparingly around the municipality.
Established in September 1843, Murphysboro is the second county seat of Jackson County. The town's creation is tied to the disastrous fire which destroyed the courthouse in the first county seat, Brownsville. The fire proved to be the catalyst to move the county seat to a more central location. The name was decided for the new town when William C. Murphy's name was drawn from a hat containing the names of the three commissioners who chose the new location, a 20acres tract of land donated by Dr. John Logan and Elizabeth Logan.
The son of the site's donors, Major General John A. Logan, later became a volunteer general in the Civil War. General Logan is also remembered for a distinguished political career, serving as Illinois' US senator from 1871 to 1877 and 1880–1886, as well as for running for vice president in 1884. At the time of his death he was considered a presidential hopeful. Logan's greatest legacy, however, is his creation of Memorial Day as a national holiday.
The economy of Murphysboro was based on coal for many of its growing years. It was also important in industry and transportation.[4]
On March 18, 1925, at around 2:30 pm, 234 people were killed when the Tri-State tornado hit Murphysboro. This number exceeds the death toll of any single community in a tornado event in U.S. history. Murphysboro was essentially destroyed. Another F4 affected the area on December 18, 1957, causing intense damage to the southeast portion of the town.
The city was heavily affected by the May 2009 Southern Midwest derecho, which destroyed houses, brought down power lines, and left the town without electricity for a week. One man was killed by a falling tree limb.[5]
In 2017, the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 had its point of longest duration (2 minutes, 41.7 seconds) near Murphysboro, at a point about 8 kilometers to the southeast (89.4030 degrees west longitude, 37.69335 degrees north latitude) in Giant City State Park.[6]
As of the census[7] of 2020, there were 7,093 people, and 3,466 households residing in the city. The population density was 1351.6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 71.4% White, 14.9% African American, 0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.8% of the population.
There were 3,466 households. The average household size was 1.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 7.4% being under the age of 5, 14.7% under the age of 18, 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older 55.5% percent of the area is female.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,535. The per capita income for the city was $26,571. About 17.7% of families were below the poverty line.
In recent years, business and tourism organizations have been at the front of renewing interest in the town as a center of historical and cultural tourism.
Murphysboro's General John A. Logan Museum, the Murphysboro Tourism Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, and Friends of Murphysboro have been working together to restore interest in the maintenance of architectural treasures such as the band shell in Riverside Park, an example of the type of large-scale project of the Works Progress Administration; the Robert W. Hamilton House, a nearly intact example of 19th-century Carpenter Gothic architecture; and the Liberty Theater, once a $1-movie house now converted into a center for regional film festivals, nostalgia nights, and concerts.
The Logan Museum Neighborhood has been the site of a project designed to convert some of the neighborhood's homes into exhibit and gallery spaces. The Neighborhood currently consists of the Sheyley House, the Hughes House, the Horsfield Printshop, and the Bullar House. The Bullar House contains the museum's main offices and exhibit spaces. The Sheyley House is the headquarters of the Murphysboro Tourism Commission and host to an exhibit detailing the town's history. The Hughes House is dedicated gallery space available to local artists. The Horsfield Printshop is the only building of the four not open to the general public. It houses a seamstress shop that produces replica clothing for local schools and the General John A. Logan Museum.
Murphysboro is home of the Apple Festival, always the second weekend after Labor Day. It hosts the Murphysboro Riverside Blues Festival each year in September at the Historic Riverside park band shell. The city hosts the Big Muddy Brewfest every October. It draws 100+ breweries and 2000+ visitors each fall.[8]
The Oak Street Art Fair[9] is held in the Logan historic arts neighborhood[10] of Murphysboro each April. The Big Muddy Monster festival occurs in June with attractions around the city. The festival first started in June 2023.
The Jackson County Mass Transit District provides deviated fixed-route bus service between Murphysboro and Carbondale.[11]