1824 - Settlement of Pekin by the Tharp Family
The first white settlement within the bounds of the modern state of Illinois (as well as Tazewell County) occurred in January of 1680 when French explorer Robert de La Salle and 33 explorers landed their canoes on the eastern bank of the Illinois River near the present site of Creve Coeur. The explorers built a stockade, Fort Creve Coeur, on a high cliff above the river. This site is at the southeast corner of Section One of Pekin Township.
Although visited by travelers and Native Americans, the area which contains the present city of Pekin was not settled until the summer of 1824 when Jonathan Tharp built a small cabin on the bank of the Illinois River, near the site of the old Franklin School. He began farming a large area that is now part of downtown Pekin.
Finding the local Potawatomi (also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie) village, led by Chief Shaubena (Shabonna,/Shabonee) friendly, Jonathan encouraged other family members to join him. His father, Jacob, and his brother, Northcott, along with a friend, Jesse Eggman, arrived in 1825. They all built dwellings close to Jonathan's cabin.
In 1826, Jacob welcomed a Methodist circuit rider to his home to conduct the first religious service. They soon organized a twelve-member congregation, which held services in members' homes. They would eventually become the First United Methodist Church of Pekin, which is still active today.
In 1827, Jacob opened a trading post in his smokehouse. Trading occurred freely among the settlers and the local Native Americans.
The Tharps soon laid out a plan for a town they would call "Cincinnati". This town was laid out in a strictly north-to-south grid, bounded by the Illinois River and today's streets of Broadway, McLean, and Main. Unfortunately, there was no interest in their lots. However, the settlement did grow and became known simply as “Town Site”.
The town of Pekin would be laid out and surveyed again by County Surveyor William Hodge in 1829, following the Illinois River, resulting in a more northeast-to-southeast grid.
The name "Pekin" was chosen by Mrs. Nathan Cromwell, wife of one of the settlers. It is generally assumed the town was named after the Chinese city of Peking but this has never been documented.
Mrs. Cromwell also named several of the city's east-west streets after female relatives and friends of the original settlers including "Ann Eliza" Street after herself.
In 1831, both grids were used by rival real estate developers. This resulted in an unusual mixture of triangular intersections, jogs, and other odd features (such as Fifth Street intersecting Eighth Street) that survive today.
The first steamboat to come up the Illinois River landed at Pekin in late 1828. According to legend, Jacob Tharp mistook the sound of the riverboat's whistle as the angel Gabriel blowing his trumpet for Judgment Day. He allegedly gathered his family in prayer—believing the end of the world was near!
Jacob Tharp erected one of the first brick buildings in 1836 - located on Tharp Place (now St. Joseph Street) between Sixth and Seventh Streets.
It eventually became Pekin Academy—one of the first women's seminaries in the frontier. It is also claimed to be the birthplace of the institution that would eventually become the University of Chicago.
Erected by Jacob Tharp
Although not listed among the official "founders" of the town of Pekin, the Tharp family has continued to be recognized as the first settlers of the Pekin area.
Jonathan Tharp photo is from
Pekin, Illinois (1824-1974) Sesquicentennial - A History
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Tharp home photo is from
Pekin: A Pictorial History
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Tharp facts are taken from both books.
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