Effingham, Illinois

== History ==
Effingham was first settled in 1814, and was known from then until 1859 as Broughton.<ref>[http://www.effinghamil.com/History/81/a/36 History of Effingham] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120728100602/http://www.effinghamil.com/History/81/a/36 |date=July 28, 2012 }}</ref> In 1859, it became the county seat with buildings relocated from nearby (now deserted) Ewington.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.effinghamdailynews.com/news/bicentennial/edn-bicentennial-series-ewington-was-first-effingham-county-seat/article_1064b898-046a-544f-a19c-2366fa06e618.html|title= EDN Bicentennial Series: Ewington was first Effingham County seat}}</ref> The community was named after General E. Effingham, a local surveyor.<ref>{{cite book|title=Illinois Central Magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3WI3AQAAMAAJ&pg=PT46|year=1922|publisher=Illinois Central Railroad Company|page=46}}</ref>

In the late 1880s, local citizens founded Austin College, which lasted for several decades, and ultimately was purchased to become the Illinois College of Photography, also known as Bissel College.  That school closed due to the [[Great Depression]] in the 1930s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.frontiernet.net/~kevinperkins/austin_college.htm |title=Austin College |last=Perkins |first=Kevin |website=www.frontiernet.net |access-date=2018-08-28}}</ref>

On April 4, 1949, [[St. Anthony's Hospital Fire|St. Anthony's Hospital]] caught fire and burned to the ground, killing 74 people.<ref name=life/>  As a result, [[fire code]]s nationwide were improved.  Due to extensive media coverage, including a [[Life (magazine)|''Life'']] magazine cover story,<ref name=life>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ME4EAAAAMBAJ|title=LIFE|date=1949-04-18|publisher=Time Inc|language=en}}</ref> donations for rebuilding the hospital came from all 48 states and several foreign countries.

Effingham was a [[sundown town]];<ref name="Loewen2006a">{{cite web |url=http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/27821|title=Honda's All-American Sundown Town|last=Loewen|first=James W.|date=2006-07-09|website=History News Network|publisher=The George Washington University |access-date=2017-08-20}}</ref> daytime segregation was enforced until at least the mid-1960s.<ref name="Loewen2006b">{{cite book |last=Loewen |first=James W. |date=2005-09-29 |title=Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension Of American Racism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPxJ_aG_B-8C |publisher=The New Press |page=231 |isbn=1595586741}}</ref>