Mattoon's History

Early settlers from the South lived in forested areas along the Little Wabash River to the southwest of the present city. They distrusted the prairie because they saw it as the source of devastating fevers.

The history of Mattoon is tied to that of local railroads. In 1853, railroad surveyors from the Illinois Central Railroad and Terre Haute and Alton Railroad discovered that their respective railroads would be crossing in the Mattoon area. This resulted in a burst of investment and land speculation in the area. The two railroads raced to the meeting point with the understanding that the first one to arrive would not have to pay to maintain the crossing.

Local settlers marked out the plots for sale with pegs, and the village was originally known as "Pegtown."

In 1861, the town was officially named after William B. Mattoon, the chief construction engineer working for the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad. The reason for this honor is unclear. It may have been that he won the naming rights because his rail crew arrived there first. One story is that he beat other claimants in a card game. Some people believe that Pegtown residents were hoping the wealthy Mattoon would invest in the town if they named it after him.

With its combination of excellent transportation and remarkably fertile prairie soils, Mattoon expanded rapidly. By the dawn of the 20th century, Mattoon's growing population and rail access resulted in manufacturing and industry being brought in.
On the night before the Lincoln-Douglas debate of September 18, 1858 at the Coles County Fairgrounds, both Lincoln and Douglas had slept in nearby Mattoon.
On June 17, 1861, General Ulysses S. Grant took his first post of the American Civil War when he assumed command of the 21st Illinois Infantry in Mattoon.

In 1865, Amish settlers moved to a community to the north of Mattoon, near Arthur. Even today Amish farmstands and horse-drawn buggies are not uncommon sights in the northern part of Mattoon.

In the 1890s, Mattoon led the successful campaign to have a proposed college in eastern Illinois located in Coles County. The citizens were chagrined when neighboring Charleston was chosen as the home of the future Eastern Illinois University instead.

On May 26, 1917, the town was devastated by a tornado, which killed 101 people.
In 1940, the discovery of petroleum reserves in the countryside immediately surrounding Mattoon led to a small "oil boom" in the 1940s and 1950s, bringing with it economic benefits and increased civic pride. Oil extraction continues to be an important economic activity.

In 1966, Lake Land College was built just south of the city. The community college offers 2-year degrees for immediate employment and pre-university education.

Mattoon was home to several minor-league teams in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The last stadium, with a capacity of approximately 2,000 seats, was torn down in the late 1950s, but the city maintains a strong baseball tradition. Mattoon still has a thriving junior league and hosted many junior league regionals and World Series.