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 Not, Although Still Very Few Black People
Census Information
| Total | White | Black | Asian | Native | Hispanic | Other | BHshld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | ||||||||
| 1870 | ||||||||
| 1880 | ||||||||
| 1890 | ||||||||
| 1900 | ||||||||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 1920 | ||||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 1950 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1970 | ||||||||
| 1980 | ||||||||
| 1990 | 856 | |||||||
| 2000 | 493 | 486 | 2 | |||||
| 2010 | 480 | 0 | ||||||
| 2020 |
Method of Exclusion
- Violent Expulsion
Main Ethnic Group(s)
Group(s) Excluded
- Black
Comments
During the early 1970’s a black family was expulsed in fear due to Klan-like activity. There are rumors of a sundown sign, but no confirmation.
***
In 1977, an African American ISU graduate student moved to Towanda. A cross was burned in his yard less than an week after he moved in. Two days later his car was burned. He moved out of town shortly after. Two white men were charged with arson for the crime. One plead guilty, and the other was acquitted because the victim did not show up to testify. The town council issued an official apology to the African American victim on behalf of Towanda, and said that the actions of a few individuals did not reflect the sentiment of the town. It assured people that anyone is welcome to live in Towanda.