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Teutopolis

Teutopolis, Illinois
Village
Motto: Home of the Wooden Shoes
Country United States
State Illinois
County Effingham
Coordinates 39°7′56″N 88°28′42″W / 39.13222°N 88.47833°W / 39.13222; -88.47833Coordinates: 39°7′56″N 88°28′42″W / 39.13222°N 88.47833°W / 39.13222; -88.47833
Area 1.63 sq mi (4 km2)
 - land 1.63 sq mi (4 km2)
 - water 0.00 sq mi (0 km2)
Population 1,530 (2010)
Density 938.7/sq mi (362/km2)
Government Village
Mayor Greg Hess
Timezone CST (UTC-6)
 - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code 62467
Area code 217
Location of Teutopolis within Illinois
Location of Teutopolis within Illinois
Website: teutopolis.com

Teutopolis is a village in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,530.

Teutopolis is located in northeastern Effingham County at 39°7′56″N 88°28′42″W / 39.13222°N 88.47833°W / 39.13222; -88.47833 (39.132125, -88.478435).U.S. Route 40 (National Road) passes through the center of the village, leading west 4 miles (6 km) into Effingham, the county seat, and east 5.5 miles (8.9 km) to Montrose.

According to the 2010 census, Teutopolis has a total area of 1.63 square miles (4.22 km2), all land.

Teutopolis, "City of the Teutons", or Germans, was established in 1839 along the National Road, now U.S. Route 40. It is the only town in the United States with this name.

Teutopolis did not evolve as the accidental by-product of a trading post, church, inn, stage coach relay station, or junction of roadways or railroads, but was the result of much thought and controversy, hard-headed economy, investigation, planning and a vast amount of patience. Clemens Uptmor from the Duchy of Oldenburg, and Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, came to the United States in 1834 along with his brother Herman H. Uptmor and a few neighbors. They settled first in Cincinnati, then the gateway to the west for German Catholics. In 1837 they formed a land company for the purchase of government land under the name of "Deutsche Land-Compagnie oder Ansiedlungsgesellschaft". John F. Waschefort, Clemens Uptmor and Gerard H. Bergfeld were named to find a location for settlement and then give their recommendations to the land company. The committee opposed settling in Missouri because of slavery and were discouraged from settling in the north central area of Illinois because of the swamps and the black soil. The northeast part of Effingham County was recommended because of the woodlands, well-drained uplands and plentiful game.


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