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James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Catlin

Illinois

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Unions, Organized Labor?

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Probable
Was there an ordinance?
Perhaps, Some Oral Evidence
Sign?
Perhaps, Some Oral Evidence
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Probably

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990 2173
2000 2087 2068 1
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Reputation

Main Ethnic Group(s)

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

There are many residents who have stated that the KKK had a presence in Catlin, with crosses burned on the lawn of a black family trying to move in the late 1980’s – 1990. The same residents have stated that while they didn’t know of a specific ordinance, the town was sundown definitely by reputation.
One resident stated that there had been a sign posted along one of the towns main roads that said, “No Colors After Dark.”