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77-602: Mueller Co. was founded in 1857 by Hieronymus Mueller in Decatur, Illinois as "H. Mueller, Gun Shop". Mueller closed the business briefly in 1858 to prospect for gold in Colorado, but returned to his business not long after, expanding it to include sewing machine and clock repairs and the sale of hunting and fishing equipment in addition to gunsmithing. By 1880, the focus of Mueller's business shifted from manufacturing guns to manufacturing plumbing goods, and in 1885, Mueller changed

154-472: A foreign trade zone and customs clearing, and the area is both an enterprise zone and tax increment financing district. In August 2019, Mueller Company announced plans to construct a "state-of-the-art" brass foundry in Decatur on a 30-acre site in the 2700 block of North Jasper Street. The facility is expected to employ 250 personnel. In November 2020, ADM and InnovaFeed announced plans to construct

231-461: A 7.1% population loss of (-5,376) from 2010 to 2019. The Japanese corporation Bridgestone owns Firestone Tire and Rubber Company , which operated a large tire factory here. Firestone's Decatur plant was closed in December 2001 amid a tire failure controversy . All 1,500 employees were laid off. Firestone cited a decline in consumer demand for Firestone tires and the age of the Decatur plant as

308-594: A 7.1% population loss of (−5,376) from 2010 to 2019. The Chicago Tribune says: "in 1980, Decatur's population was at a high of 94,000. Now it is 71,000." Decatur has production facilities for Caterpillar , Archer Daniels Midland , Mueller Co. , and Primient (previously Tate & Lyle , A. E. Staley ). Caterpillar Inc. has one of its largest manufacturing plants in the U.S. in Decatur. This plant produces Caterpillar's off highway trucks, wheel-tractor scrapers, compactors, large wheel loaders, mining-class motorgraders, and their ultra-class mining trucks (including

385-434: A Rainbow PUSH scholarship); another working as a butcher; and a fourth being arrested for home invasion in 2009. Jesse Jackson was criticized for turning what could have been a legitimate criticism/discussion of the effects of "zero tolerance" policies into national debate by attempting to present the seven youths as victims of bigotry. The USGS Domestic GeoNames resource has two listings for Decatur: "City of Decatur", which

462-524: A bank was built. Local Macon County park resources include Lake Decatur , Lincoln Trail Homestead State Memorial , Rock Springs Conservation Area , Fort Daniel Conservation Area , Sand Creek Recreation Area , Griswold Conservation Area , Friends Creek Regional Park , and Spitler Woods State Natural Area . The Decatur Park District resources include 2,000 acres (810 ha) of park land, an indoor sports center, Decatur Airport , three golf courses, softball, soccer and tennis complexes, athletic fields,

539-410: A community aquatic center, an AZA-accredited zoo , and a banquet, food and beverage business. Decatur was once dubbed "Park City USA" because it had more parks per person than any other city in the country, as well as "Playtown USA" because of Decatur's position as an early national leader in providing recreational space for its citizens. A motion picture short by that name was made in 1944 that featured

616-436: A felony. Jesse Jackson intervened in the incident, bringing the controversy to national attention, protesting both the severity and length of the punishment and also alleging racial bias (schools in Decatur in 1999 had an enrollment that was about 44 percent black, while five of the six Decatur students expelled in the prior year were black). Jackson pointed out he was invited by the students' parents and that he spoke with them,

693-749: A group of Decatur businessmen founded the Soy Capital Bank to trade on the nickname. Decatur was awarded the All-America City Award in 1960, one of eleven cities honored that year. Decatur is an affiliate of the U.S. Main Street program , in conjunction with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. On July 19, 1974, a tanker car containing isobutane collided with a boxcar in the Norfolk & Western railroad yard in

770-504: A handle. For much of the 20th century, the city was known as "The Soybean Capital of the World" owing to its being the location of the headquarters of A. E. Staley Manufacturing Company, a major grain processor in the 1920s, which popularized the use of soybeans to produce products for human consumption such as oil, meal and flour. At one time, over a third of all the soybeans grown in the world were processed in Decatur, Illinois. In 1955

847-413: A manufacturer of butterfly and other specialty valves, and James Jones Company became subsidiaries of Mueller Co. Pratt subsequently acquired several companies between 2001 and 2003, including Hydro Gate and Milliken Valve, among others. The leak detection company, Echologics , and Hydro Guard , a brand of water line flushing systems, are Mueller Co.'s most recent acquisitions; they both became divisions of

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924-404: A mayor elected at-large and four commissioners to serve as administrators of city services: accounts and finance, public health and safety, public property, and streets and public improvements. The mayor also served as Commissioner of Public Affairs. The mayor and commissioner system prevailed until a special election on November 25, 1958, in which the present council-manager form of government

1001-626: A member of the Lost Foam Casting Consortium at the University of Alabama Birmingham , which is involved in improvements to the technology and growth in markets for the process. Mueller Co. offers all of its waterworks brass products in low-lead varieties., and the majority of the company's brass and iron castings contain recycled material from both post-consumer and industrial scrap. Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( / d ɪ ˈ k eɪ t ər / dih- KAY -tər )

1078-531: A plant to produce a full line of bathroom and kitchen fixtures in 1925, but the Depression caused a decline in demand for these goods, leading to the plant's closure in 1933. It reopened as a Mueller Co.-owned munitions plant during World War II , manufacturing 37mm and 57mm shells and large naval ordinance. During this time, Mueller developed an armor-piercing shell that was used in North Africa to defeat

1155-631: A sharp increase in the business the company did in Canada. In 1912, Oscar Mueller moved again in order to establish a new manufacturing plant in Sarnia, Ontario under the name Mueller, Ltd. During World War I , the Mueller brothers formed Mueller Metals Company in order to address the shortage of brass rod munitions fuses, constructing a plant in Port Huron, Michigan . The plant went into production as

1232-550: A two-story brick building constructed in 1895 and was gradually expanded to include a third story, another three-story office building and warehouse, a power plant, a soda fountain manufacturing plant, an engineering building, galvanizing facilities, and a gym, among others. By 1960, the campus consisted of more than a dozen buildings occupying six city blocks. Around 1910, the youngest Mueller brother, Oscar, moved to New York in order to establish and run Mueller Manufacturing's Eastern Division manufacturing and sales office, resulting in

1309-590: A two-way advanced metering infrastructure , with Echologics' compact, non-invasive, acoustic leak detection system, LeakFinderRT. The largest installation of the system to date is by West Virginia American Water , which covers several towns stretching 10 miles down the Kanawha Valley River. On June 15, 2021 at 2:22 AM, an employee at the Mueller Co. plant in Albertville, Alabama walked into

1386-446: Is 150 miles southwest of Chicago , 40 miles east of Springfield , the state capital, and 110 miles northeast of St. Louis . According to the 2010 census, consisted of 42.22 square miles (109.35 km ) of land and 4.69 square miles (12.15 km ) of water, amounting to a total area of 46.91 square miles (121.50 km ), consisting of 90% land and 10% water. Lakes include Lake Decatur , an 11 km reservoir formed in 1923 by

1463-483: Is a Civil-class designation, and "Decatur", which is a Populated Place designation. The two listings have slightly different coordinate centroids; the "City of Decatur" centroid is located at 39°51′20″N 88°56′01″W  /  39.8556417°N 88.9337090°W  / 39.8556417; -88.9337090 , while the "Decatur" centroid is at 39°50′25″N 88°57′17″W  /  39.8403147°N 88.9548001°W  / 39.8403147; -88.9548001 . Decatur

1540-627: Is an American manufacturing company located in Aurora, Illinois . The company was incorporated on November 1, 1901 as the Henry Pratt Boiler and Machine Company. The founder Henry Pratt was named as president and treasurer. It was located at 875 S. Halsted Street in Chicago in a building that housed the office, machine shop and boiler shop. The company provided 16 inch valves for the first electric generating station of any significant size in

1617-760: Is expected to create more than 280 direct and 400 indirect jobs in the Decatur region by the second phase. According to the EDC of Decatur & Macon County, the top employers in Decatur are as follows: From 1917 to 1922, Decatur was the location of the Comet Automobile Company, and the Pan-American Motor Corporation. In 1950, the Marvel-Schebler Division of BorgWarner opened a new facility in Decatur. The plant, which once had as many as 1,300 employees,

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1694-684: Is held for eight consecutive days at Fairview Park concluding on the first weekend in August. Decatur formerly hosted the annual Decatur-Forsyth Classic presented by Tate & Lyle and the Decatur Park District. The tournament was traditionally held in June. The final year for the tournament was 2019. Between 1829 and 1836, the County Commissioners Court had jurisdiction as it was the seat of Macon County. By 1836

1771-666: Is home to Millikin University and Richland Community College . The city is named after War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur . The Potawatomi Trail of Death passed through the city in 1838. Post No. 1 of the Grand Army of the Republic was founded by Civil War veterans in Decatur on April 6, 1866. Decatur was the first home in Illinois of Abraham Lincoln , who settled just west of Decatur with his family in 1830. At

1848-625: Is located at No. 2 Millikin Place, Decatur. In addition, the Robert Mueller Residence, 1 Millikin Place, and the Adolph Mueller Residence, 4 Millikin Place, have been attributed to Wright's assistants Hermann V. von Holst and Marion Mahony . In 1901 Andrew Carnegie gave City of Decatur $ 60,000 to construct a new public library. The library was built in 1902 at the corner of Eldorado and Main and opened to

1925-401: Is still ongoing and a motive for the attack has not been established. Mueller Co. uses a number of sustainable manufacturing and business practices. It is among the leading manufacturers in the use of the lost-foam casting process, which reduces the amount of required materials for casting and reduces the amount of waste and emissions generated by the casting process. Mueller Co. has also been

2002-420: Is the council's employee, not an elected official. Since 1959, the following have served as City Managers: John E. Dever, W. Robert Semple, Leslie T. Allen, Jim Bacon, Jim Williams, Steve Garman, John A. Smith (acting), Ryan McCrady, Gregg Zientara (interim), Timothy Gleason, and Scot Wrighton, the current holder. Julie Moore Wolfe serves as the current mayor of Decatur. Moore Wolfe was appointed unanimously by

2079-549: Is the largest city in and the county seat of Macon County, Illinois , United States. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois . As of the 2020 census , it had a population of 70,522. It is the seventeenth-most populous city in Illinois. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production. The city

2156-553: The Axis forces led by Erwin Rommel . The plant closed at the end of the war, and the property was sold in 1948. In 1951, the company purchased a new site in Decatur and converted it to an iron and brass foundry. The iron foundry operation was phased out within a few years, and the facility is now one of the largest brass foundries in the world. The central Decatur campus went through a major modernization beginning in 1961, bringing most of

2233-603: The Caterpillar 797 ). Archer Daniels Midland processes corn and soybeans, Mueller produces water distribution products and Tate & Lyle processes corn in Decatur. Decatur has been ranked third in the nation as an Emerging Logistics and Distribution Center by Business Facilities: The Location Advisor, and was named a Top 25 Trade City by Global Trade . In 2013 the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur & Macon County established

2310-674: The Great Depression led to the closure of all of these offices. However, a production plant was opened in Los Angeles in 1933 in order to handle distribution for the company's still-growing market in the western United States. The Los Angeles plant remained in operation until 1977, when it was replaced by a new facility in Brea, California . Mueller Co. also acquired Columbia Iron Works, a Chattanooga, Tennessee -based manufacturer of hydrants and gate valves in 1933. Mueller Co. opened

2387-558: The high-fructose corn syrup class action case) to plaintiffs and customers that it stole from during the price-fixing schemes. In 2014, ADM moved its upper corporate management out of Decatur and established the new ADM World Headquarters in downtown Chicago. Following the ADM corporate exit, Decatur became listed by the United States Census Bureau as number 3 in "The 15 Fastest-Declining Large Cities" which showed

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2464-707: The Chicago Staleys. In 1922, they played their first season as the Chicago Bears. From 1900 to 1974, Decatur was the home of the Commodores , a minor-league baseball team playing at Fans Field . The USTA /Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic has been held annually since 1999. Male players from over 20 countries compete for $ 25,000 in prize money as well as ATP world ranking points at the Fairview Park Tennis Complex. The tournament

2541-643: The Decatur City Council following the death of Mayor Mike McElroy. She is the first female to be mayor of Decatur. Moore Wolfe, who had been appointed mayor pro tem in May 2015, became acting mayor after McElroy died on July 17, 2015. McElroy had been mayor since 2009 and had recently been re-elected to a second term as mayor in April 2015. Moore Wolfe was elected to a four-year term as mayor on April 4, 2017. Henry Pratt Company Henry Pratt Company

2618-502: The East End of Decatur. The resulting explosion killed seven people, injured 349, and caused $ 18 million in property damage including extensive damage to nearby Lakeview High School. On April 18 and 19, 1996, the city was hit by tornadoes. On April 18, an F1 tornado hit the city's southeast side, followed by an F3 tornado the following evening on the northwest side. That same tornado then skipped twice, hitting businesses on

2695-663: The Macon County Historical Museum on North Fork Road. John Hanks , first cousin of Abraham Lincoln, lived in Decatur. On May 9 and 10, 1860, the Illinois Republican State Convention was held in Decatur. At this convention, Lincoln received his first endorsement for President of the United States as "The Railsplitter Candidate". In commemoration of Lincoln's bicentennial, the Illinois Republican State Convention

2772-777: The Midwest Inland Port, a multi-modal transportation hub with market proximity to 95 million customers in a 500-mile radius. The port includes the Archer Daniels Midland intermodal container ramp, the two class I railroads that service the ramp and the city (the Canadian National Railway , and the Norfolk Southern Railway ), five major roadways and the Decatur Airport . The Midwest Inland Port also has

2849-462: The United States, and a symbol of the city's high culture and modernity just decades after it was founded as a small collection of log cabins. The second story of the building consisted of an open-air gazebo used as a stage for public speeches and concerts by the Goodman Band. Sitting in the middle of the square as it was, increasing automobile traffic flowing through downtown Decatur on US 51

2926-603: The World" in 1991. In 1965, Mueller Co. bought the Los Angeles-based Adams Clamp Company and moved its production operations first to Decatur, Illinois, and later to its current location in Cleveland, Tennessee . In 1988, Mueller Co. acquired Hersey-Sparling Meter Company, which began operating under its former name, Hersey Meters, until it was merged with Arkion Systems in 2009 and became known as Mueller Systems . In 1996, Henry Pratt Company,

3003-653: The acquisition of Henry Pratt Company . In 1996, Mueller opened a plant that produces gas distribution products in Brownsville, Texas . The corporate headquarters of the company relocated from Decatur to Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2010. In 1923, Mueller Co. acquired the National Casting Company and established the Mueller Iron Foundry Company. The iron foundry became part of Mueller Co. in 1928, and continued operation until

3080-459: The age of 21, Lincoln gave his first political speech in Decatur about the importance of Sangamon River navigation, which caught the attention of Illinois political leaders. As a lawyer on the 8th Judicial Circuit, Lincoln made frequent stops in Decatur, and argued five cases in the log courthouse that stood on the corner of Main & Main Streets. The original courthouse is now on the grounds of

3157-567: The city of Chicago, which was built by the Commonwealth Edison Company in 1903. Henry Pratt Company's main corporate office from mid-sixties was at 401 S, Highland Ave, Aurora IL 60506. Following are recent corporate events: On February 15, 2019 during a termination meeting, employee Gary Martin began shooting with a handgun at staff. The shooting was reported at 1:24 p.m. (CT) (19:24 UTC ), with first officers arriving four minutes later. Local police were assisted by

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3234-543: The city was 71.6% White , 23.3% African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 0.9% from other races , and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 32,344 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female household with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who

3311-565: The city's recreational efforts. Decatur was the original home of the Chicago Bears , from 1919 to 1920. The football team was then known as the Decatur Staleys and played at Staley Field , both named after the local food-products manufacturer . A.E. Staley created the team from regular Staley Processing employees who had an interest in the sport. As the team continued to win games and show promise, Staley decided to invest in

3388-419: The city. Out of the 31,073 households, 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 36.1% had a female householder with no partner, and 20.6% had a male householder with no partner. The average family size was 3.00 persons. The median household income for the city was $ 45,404, the median family income was $ 62,699, and the median married-couple family income

3465-482: The company in 2011. In 2012, Mueller Co. expanded its research and development capabilities with the creation of the Mueller Co. Technology Center (MTC) in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The MTC combined existing R&D facilities in Chattanooga with operations that were relocated from a Rhode Island facility and from several manufacturing facilities. The decision to consolidate Mueller's R&D activities in Chattanooga

3542-643: The damming of the Sangamon River . The Decatur Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 109,900) includes surrounding towns of Argenta , Boody , Blue Mound , Elwin , Forsyth , Harristown , Long Creek , Macon , Maroa , Mount Zion , Niantic , Oakley , Oreana , and Warrensburg . On July 19, 1999, the Department of Community Development prepared a map of the official neighborhoods of Decatur, used for planning and statistical purposes. Decatur has 71 official neighborhoods. The 2020 census reported there were 70,522 people and 31,073 households living in

3619-425: The drinking water supply by preventing contamination caused by untreated groundwater when pressure is too low. More recently, a technological collaboration between Mueller Co. subsidiaries, Mueller Systems and Echologics, has resulted in the development of the first continual, two-way, remote leak detection and monitoring system, called Mi.Echo. Mi.Echo combines Mueller Systems' Mueller Infrastructure Network (Mi.Net),

3696-509: The facility's operations under a single roof. Many of the older buildings were either sold or demolished, but several of the oldest structures were kept and incorporated into the new plant building. A new iron foundry opened in St. Jerome, Quebec under Mueller, Ltd. in 1966. Mueller opened a plant in Clinton, South Carolina to manufacture butterfly valves in 1980, but ceased operation in 1996 after

3773-481: The gates of the Panama Canal . Today, as many as 95 valves based on Mueller's original design are still used to protect the canal's system of locks . Pressure regulators are also considered vital components of plumbing and water infrastructure systems, as they are instrumental in protecting pipes from wear-and-tear caused by pressure fluctuations, preventing leaks caused by pressure that is too high, and protecting

3850-481: The grandstands, with kicking and punching, as some of the fighters tumbled over the rails. The game was stopped and players gawked at the fighting in the bleachers. Ed Bohem, the principal at MacArthur High School who attended the game, described it as a riot: "I feared for the safety of our people -- my parents, my students," Bohem said, referring to the crowd in the bleachers. "You had people pushed through bars, people covering little children so they wouldn't get hurt. It

3927-491: The kids, ministers and teachers before protesting the zero-tolerance severity of the punishment: "No one can survive zero tolerance," Jackson said. "We all need mercy and grace." Outside of Decatur, public support was largely against the School Board's decision but changed once a videotape of the incident surfaced filmed by a parent at the game. Broadcast on national TV news, it showed a melee that swept through one end of

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4004-474: The median income for a household in the city was $ 41,977, and the median income for a family was $ 55,086. Males had a median income of $ 35,418 versus $ 34,389 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 25,042. About 22% of the population is below the poverty line , including 35% of those under age 18 and 10% of those age 65 or over. Decatur is listed by the United States Census Bureau as number three in "The 15 Fastest-Declining Large Cities" which showed

4081-409: The mid-1950s. Mueller Co. acquired Chattanooga, Tennessee -based Columbia Iron Works, a manufacturer of fire hydrants and gate valves , in 1933, later changing the outfit's brand name to Mueller in 1955. Mueller still manufactures gate valves at this location, but the fire hydrant manufacturing operation was moved to Albertville, Alabama in 1975, earning the town the moniker "Fire Hydrant Capital of

4158-530: The name of his business to "H. Mueller Manufacturing Co." and he moved the gun and sporting goods division of his company to a separate location. By 1891, Mueller ran three separate businesses: a plumbing services shop, a plumbing goods manufacturing company, and a gun sporting goods store. In 1896, Mueller's manufacturing business had grown so much, the family sold its gun and sporting goods business in order to focus entirely on producing plumbing goods. Mueller Co.'s previous headquarters location in Decatur started as

4235-400: The northeast side. The two storms totaled approximately $ 10.5 million in property damage. A new branding effort for Decatur and Macon County was unveiled in 2015, Limitless Decatur. The marketing strategy intended to attract and retain business and residents by promoting the Decatur area as modern and progressive with opportunities to live, work, and develop. In November 1999, Decatur

4312-502: The plant armed with a handgun and opened fire on an unknown number of people. At 2:30 AM, emergency services received the first call of the shooting. At approximately 2:32 AM, first responders began arriving on scene. By 2:35 AM, police had made entry into the plant searching for the shooter, and began evacuating employees. Authorities discovered 4 victims in different parts of the plant and immediately began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other life saving measures on

4389-414: The population reached approximately 300, and Richard Oglesby was elected president of the first board of trustees. Other members of the board of trustees included Dr. William Crissey, H.M. Gorin and Andrew Love as clerk. In 1839 a town charter was granted to Decatur that gave power to the trustees "to establish and regulate a fire department, to dig wells and erect pumps in the streets, regulate police of

4466-505: The public July 1, 1903. The building served the community until 1970 when the library moved to North Street at the site of a former Sears, Roebuck & Co. store. In 1999 the library moved to its present location on Franklin Street, which is also an abandoned Sears building. The library is part of the Illinois Heartland Library System. The original Carnegie library building was razed in 1972 and in its place

4543-473: The reasons for closing that facility. The Decatur Municipal Band was organized September 19, 1857, making it one of the oldest nonmilitary bands in continuous service in the United States and Canada. The band was originally known as the Decatur Brass Band, Decatur Comet Band and Decatur Silver Band until 1871 when it was reorganized by Andrew Goodman and became The Goodman Band. In 1942, the band

4620-465: The seven students had missed a combined 350 days of high school. The issue dissipated when the school board reduced the original expulsions from two years to one year and agreed to let the students earn credit while attending an alternative school. The students involved in the fight have since taken different paths in life: one having been sentenced to state prison for 10 years for a 2004 felony drug conviction; another having finished college (helped by

4697-419: The team further by hiring George Halas as its second head coach. Halas led the team to success in the 1920 season, going 10–1–2. As the team continued to win, Staley realized that he could make more money and further develop the team if there were larger crowds and a larger venue to play at. Halas and Staley agreed to move the team to Chicago in 1921 and play at Wrigley Field . The team was to play one season as

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4774-506: The town, [and] raise money for the purpose of commencing and prosecuting works of public improvement." Those who served as president of the town of Decatur were: Richard Oglesby (1836), Joseph Williams (1837), Henry Snyder (1838), Kirby Benedict (1839), Joseph King (1840), Thomas P. Rodgers (1841), David Crone (1846–47), J.H. Elliott (1848), Joseph Kauffman (1849), Joseph King (1850), William S. Crissey (1851), W.J. Stamper (1852), William Prather (1853–54), and Thomas H. Wingate (1854–55). In

4851-482: The victims. At 2:53 AM, an ambulance arrived and transported one victim to hospital , and another one half an hour later. The two other victims were fatally wounded and died on scene. Police initially thought that it was still an active shooter situation for half an hour before they realized the shooter was no longer in the plant. At approximately 6:00 AM, police located the suspect's body in neighboring Guntersville, Alabama , having died by suicide . The investigation

4928-661: The war was ending, and the Muellers took a large loss on the facility. In 1927, Oscar Mueller exchanged his interest in Mueller Co. for the Port Huron plant, converting it into an independent brass tubing and fitting manufacturing enterprise under the name of Mueller Brass Company, now known as Mueller Industries . Throughout the late 1920s, Mueller Co. opened additional sales and distribution offices in Los Angeles , Chicago , San Francisco , Dallas , and Atlanta , though

5005-419: The winter of 1855–56, a special city incorporation charter was obtained. This charter provided an aldermanic form of government and on January 7, 1856, an election was held for mayor, two aldermen for each of the four wards, and city marshal. This aldermanic form of government continued until January 18, 1911, when Decatur changed to city commissioner form of government. The new commissioner system provided

5082-416: The world's largest insect protein facility targeted to begin in 2021. The facility will be owned and operated by InnovaFeed and will co-locate with ADM's Decatur corn processing complex. This new project represents innovative, sustainable production to meet growing demand for insect protein in animal feed, a market that has potential to reach 1 million tons in 2027. Construction of the new high-capacity facility

5159-502: Was $ 77,901. The employment rate was 52.1%. 19.4% of Decatur residents were living below the poverty line; 30.2% of them were under 18 years old, 18.8% were ages 18 to 64, and 9.6% were 65 or older. As of the 2010 census , there were 76,122 people, 32,344 households, and 18,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,800.9 inhabitants per square mile (695.3/km ). There were 36,134 housing units at an average density of 854.8 per square mile (330.0/km ). The racial makeup of

5236-458: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.86. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.8% from ages 18 to 24, 23.4% from ages 25 to 44, 26.8% from ages 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. As of 2017,

5313-585: Was adopted. According to the city website, the "City of Decatur operates under the Council-Manager form of government, a system which combines the leadership of a representative, elected council with the professional background of an appointed manager." The mayor and all members of the council are elected at-large. Their duties include determining city policy and representing the city in public ceremonies, for which they receive nominal annual salaries. The appointed manager handles all city administration and

5390-483: Was brought into the national news when Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition protested the two-year expulsion of seven African American students who had been involved in a serious fight at an Eisenhower High School football game under a recently enacted "zero tolerance" policy. Six of the students were arrested but not charged after the fracas. Four were later charged as adults with mob action,

5467-565: Was built in the original town square (now called "Lincoln Square") where the city's mass transit lines (streetcars and interurban trains) met. Designed by Chicago architect William W. Boyington , who also designed the Chicago Water Tower , the Transfer House was constructed to serve as a shelter for passengers transferring from one conveyance to another. It was regarded as one of the most beautiful structures of its kind in

5544-568: Was forced to circle around the structure, and the Transfer House came to be seen by some as an impediment. The Illinois Department of Transportation , who maintained the US 51 highway route through Decatur, requested it be removed, and in 1962, the structure was transported by truck to nearby Central Park, where it stands today. In that location, it has served as a bus shelter, a visitor information center, and civic group offices. The Edward P. Irving House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1911,

5621-539: Was held in Decatur at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel on June 6 and 7, 2008. The first modern fly-destruction device ( fly swatter ) was invented in 1900 by Robert R. Montgomery , an entrepreneur based in Decatur, Ill. Montgomery was issued Patent No. 640,790 for the Fly-Killer, a “cheap device of unusual elasticity and durability” made of wire netting, “preferably oblong,” attached to

5698-456: Was intended to improve communications between researchers and manufacturers within the company. Technologies developed and improved by Mueller Co. and its subsidiaries throughout its history are used in and have improved infrastructures around the world. United States Patent #251726A was issued to Hieronymus Mueller in 1892 for a water pressure regulator. In 1913, modified versions of this valve were used to keep ships from accidentally running into

5775-676: Was officially designated as the Decatur Municipal Band and chartered within the City of Decatur. The present Decatur Municipal Band, directed by Jim Culbertson since 1979, is composed of high school and college students and area adults from all walks of life, many of whom look to the Band as a serious avocation, or as a prelude to a life-long profession. The city's symbol is the Transfer House , an 1896 octagonal structure that

5852-522: Was sold to Facet Aerospace Products in 1982. The plant closed in April 1983. In early November 1992, business executive Mark Whitacre of Decatur-based Archer Daniels Midland confessed to an FBI agent that ADM executives, including Whitacre himself, had routinely met with competitors to fix the price of lysine , a food additive. The lysine conspirators, including ADM, ultimately settled federal charges for more than $ 100 million. ADM also paid hundreds of millions of dollars ($ 400 million alone on

5929-472: Was violent." Jackson and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition organized marches that included hundreds of people bused in from outside the area, criticizing the school board for what Jackson said was unfairly harsh treatment of the boys over a fight. Jackson was arrested and detained briefly; however, charges were later dropped. School officials say the students involved in the fighting were known as truants, described three of them as "third-year freshmen", and noted that

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