54 topographic sheets cover 34 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources name 29 people · people the book names include Jacob Austin (Ramsey Township, 1878) · John Hillory Buckmaster (Sharon Township, 1878) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Floyd and Glenora Dycus House | building | 2001 | 01000179 |
 | First Presbyterian Church | building | 1982 | 82002534 |
 | Little Brick House | building | 1973 | 73000701 |
 | Vandalia Statehouse | building | 1974 | 74000760 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 2 of them, burning about 1 acre. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 May 2014 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 0024-14 |
| 7 October 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office | not named |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 264 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 13 injuries and about $6,215,250 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 147 |
| Hail | 65 |
| Tornado | 26 |
| Flash Flood | 21 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 |
| Flood | 2 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 1984 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 11 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 1954 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1989 | Hail | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Farina | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Lutz Spur | $600,000 | Multiple towns and municipalities in northern Fayette County were affected by flash flooding according to emergency management, broadcast media, law enforcement/fire, and members of the public. In Wrights Corner, multiple roads had at least several inches of water covering them, with the intersection of N 2800 and County Road 2 having 3 to 6 feet of water on it. In Ramsey, rain rates of greater than 3 inches per hour caused 3 to 5 inches of water over the road at 8th Street and Fayette Street. The Ramsey Blacktop outside of town was also impassable due to water over the road. Near St. Elmo, a car was stalled in knee-deep water and the fire department was called to rescue the stranded individual. In Avena, US-40 was impassable due to flooding, and a vehicle and fire truck became stuck in around 2 feet of water. In Brownstown, a family's car became stuck in flood water, but they were able to walk out on their own. Near Shafter, a vehicle became stuck in flood water at County Road 2200 and N 200. E 1500 was flooded out in Saint James. Near Vandalia, a vehicle rolled over in 4 feet of flood water on I-70. Overall, this area received up to 13.5 inches of rain with 7.39 inches falling in 4.25 hours. |
| April 1994 | Tornado (F1) | Loogootee to | $500,000 | A small tornado formed just west of Loogootee and moved east through the southern part of town. The roofs of two relatively new mobile homes were completely uplifted and tossed several hundred yards downwind. A resident stated that several 6 x 6's anchored in cement were snapped off or pulled up. The nearby homes also experienced minor roof damage and broken windows. A large 20-foot grain bin was tossed several hundred yards downwind. Before the tornado lifted, several farm houses and barns east of town were heavily damaged. |
| May 1983 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Hagarstown | $110,000 | At approximately 11:11 PM a tornado began just southwest of Hagarstown, IL in Fayette County and continued northeastward for 13.4 miles through Vandalia, IL before dissipating southwest of Sefton, IL in Fayette County around 11:23 PM. The worst damage occurred northeast of Vandalia, where several trees were uprooted. This tornado was assigned a rating of EF-1 with a maximum wind speed of 90 mph. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Farina | $80,000 | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Carlyle Res North | $75,000 | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Shobonier | $75,000 | no account filed |
| April 2025 | Tornado (EF2) | Shobonier | $50,000 | Shortly before 7pm, the tornado formed just south of County Road 750 in Fayette County, southeast of Shobonier, damaging trees and structures at a farm. The tornado tracked northeastward through fields and pockets of trees before impacting farms along County Rd 1100. Shortly after this point, the tornado reached its maximum surveyed strength, where it leveled an outbuilding near the intersection of County Rd 1100 and E 900 Ave. The tornado continued northeastward, producing mainly tree damage and minor structural damage before dissipating shortly after crossing County Rd 1300 north of Augsburg. The tornado was rated EF-2 with a path length of 4.33 miles and a maximum path width of 150 yards. |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Peter | $50,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down north of Brownstown while a barn and garage were heavily damaged in St. Peter. |
| February 1999 | Hail | Vandalia | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Farina | $25,000 | There were multiple snapped large tree limbs and a light metal carport destroyed between St. Peter and Farina. Ten power poles were also downed on Highway 185. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Vandalia | $20,000 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shafter | $15,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped a couple of power poles on Illinois Route 185 near Shafter. |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Vandalia | $15,000 | A small tornado formed in Fayette County south of Vandalia. One mobile home was destroyed, a boat dock at a pond destroyed and several trees downed. Power lines were also downed. |
| October 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs as well as trees were blown down between Vandalia and the south side of Herrick. |
| April 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Carlyle Res North | $8,000 | A brief, weak tornado touched down between Carlyle Lake and Pope near 6:30 PM and moved northeast. Along its track, the tornado removed several shingles from a home and caused tree damage. The tornado lifted near County Road 700 at approximately 6:38 PM. The tornado was rated EF-0 with a path length of 5.01 miles and a maximum path width of 50 yards. |
| April 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ramsey | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to a roof near Ramsey. |
| April 2013 | Flood | Bluff City | $5,000 | The Kaskaskia River in Fayette County hit major flood levels. The river crested at Vandalia at 27.91 feet on April 19th. The river fell below flood stage on April 30th. The was little known damage except for agricultural lowlands. |
| April 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownstown | $5,000 | Trees and power lines were blown down north of Brownstown while a barn and garage were heavily damaged in St. Peter. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Pittsburg | $1,000 | Three to five inches of rain fell over a short amount of time over Fayette county. Numerous secondary roads were flooded countywide. Also, a man drove his truck onto a bridge that was flooded just north of St. Elmo. The truck was then swept off the road and he had to be rescued. He was not injured. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | $500 | The county sheriff reported several large trees blown down at Vandalia Lake. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | $300 | A local newspaper reported several large trees down along with power lines. |
| August 1974 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250 | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Farina | $200 | Wind gusts to 60 mph knocked down several trees in the area. |
| March 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wrights Corner | - | Thunderstorm winds downed 4 inch diameter limbs from a healthy tree. |
| December 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pittsburg | - | Thunderstorm winds downed many limbs and at least 1 large tree near Pittsburg. |
| April 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Jimtown | - | The tornado then crossed into Fayette County and caused minor tree damage southwest of Shafter before lifting at 5:29 PM. In Fayette County the tornado had a path length of 2.98 miles with a path width of 150 yards. The tornado was rated an EF0. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dressor | - | Thunderstorm winds downed a tree at the Ramsey substation. The storm then moved southeast where it snapped tree limbs of up to 4 inches in diameter in St. Elmo. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hagarstown | - | Trees were downed across Illinois Route 140 at 300 Street and just east of Hagarstown. Trees were also downed in the Brownstown area. Additional cities in the path of this storm include Vandalia and Bluff City. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Shobonier | - | A large tree was blown down onto a power line. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Vandalia | - | There were numerous hail reports between Vandalia and Brownstown at around 6PM CST. Hail in Vandalia was sub-severe, but the storm intensified and produced 1.00 to 1.25 in diameter hail in Brownstown. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ramsey | - | Thunderstorm winds snapped off a couple of large pine trees and blew down numerous tree limbs at the Ramey Lake Golf Course. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Bingham | - | As it tracked to the northeast across Fayette County, it moved through Bingham, snapping additional trees. The tornado intensified and widened as it moved across the southeast portion of Ramsey State Park and across US Highway 51 north of Ramsey. The tornado continued to track northeast, crossing IL Route 14 around 2 miles west of Herrick, continuing into Shelby County (WFO Lincoln IL County Warning Area). The tornado was rated EF1 in Fayette County with a path length of 14.8 miles and a max path width of 690 yards. No injuries or deaths were reported in Fayette County. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dressor | - | A line of severe storms blew down several large trees. Also, several power lines were blown down in Vandalia. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownstown | - | Thunderstorm gust front blew down several trees and power lines between Brownstown and St. Elmo. |
| May 2019 | Flash Flood | Lutz Spur | - | Up to four inches of rain fell in a short amount of time over the central portions of Fayette County. Numerous roads were flooded including U.S. Highway 40 near at intersection with Illinois Route 185. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia Arpt | - | A significant downburst occurred over Vandalia Municipal Airport. One airplane was flipped over and sustained significant damage. Also, 4 hangers were destroyed and two more will likely be a total loss. Eight to nine power poles were snapped off. No injuries or deaths were reported with this storm. |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Farina | - | Up to five inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Several roads were flooded including County Road 2125E between St. Elmo and St. James. Also, U.S. Highway 40 was flooded in spots between St. Elmo and county line. Numerous rural roads in the southeastern portions of Fayette County were flooded. |
| April 2018 | Tornado (EF2) | Augsburg | - | A strong tornado developed around 7 miles southeast of Vandalia, Illinois around 4:20 PM CDT and traveled northeast to the Fayette/Effingham County line by 4:34 PM CDT. The first tornado damage observed was near the intersection of E1050 Avenue and N1375 Street where a greenhouse lost portions of its roofing material and suffered other minor damage. The tornado continued northeast toward Gatch Lake causing damage to several outbuildings and one single family residence. The width of the tornado increased to nearly 100 yards wide and the strength increased from EF0 to EF1 during this time period. The tornado continued northeast causing mainly tree damage until it reached a farm along E1200 Avenue near N1780 Lane. Here a barn and several silos were destroyed, along with a single wide mobile home. The damage was rated EF2. Thankfully there were no occupants in the mobile home at the time of the tornado. The tornado continued northeast destroying another outbuilding, with the debris being tossed down wind hundreds of yards into the open field. The greatest tornado damage occurred to a residence near the intersection of Illinois Highway 185 and E1250 Avenue. The tornado destroyed their garage, ripped their roof and southeast walls off of their home. This damage was also rated EF2 with winds estimated to be 125 mph. The tornado began to weaken as it moved northeast only causing minor damage to an outbuilding and downing trees in a narrow path, less than a hundred yards wide, to the Fayette/Effingham county line. No injuries or deaths were reported in Fayette County. The tornado continued northeast into Effingham County (WFO Lincoln's forecast area). This segment of the tornado (Fayette County) was rated EF2 with a path length of 10.87 miles and a max path width of 100 yards. The entire tornado was rated EF2. It's path length was 18.27 miles with a max path width of 100 yards. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Peter | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees around town. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ramsey | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines across the county. In Brownstown, a tree was blown down onto an unoccupied car causing major damage to the vehicle. |
| May 2017 | Flash Flood | Jimtown | - | Up to three inches of rain fell in a short amount of time on already saturated soils causing flash flooding. A stream gauge on Hurricane Creek east of Mulberry Grove indicated it rose to near flood stage during this event. Fayette County Sheriff's office reported that several roads in the southern half of the county were closed due to flooding. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused a wide swath of damage from Vandalia to near Stanbery Lake. Numerous large trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. In Vandalia, several homes sustained moderate to major damage from the fallen trees. Near Stanbery Lake, a home was destroyed by two large trees. One home owner was briefly trapped in the home, but was rescued unharmed from the home. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Pittsburg | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a grain bin in St. Peter. Also, numerous trees and power poles were blown down across the southern half of Fayette County. |
| October 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Elmo | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs around town. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs around town. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Elmo | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous large tree limbs around town. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ramsey | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and numerous tree limbs and power lines around town. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vandalia | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines in Vandalia, Brownstown, and St. Elmo. A few of the fallen trees blocked U.S. Highway 51 in Vandalia. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Farina | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down a few trees and numerous tree limbs and power lines around town. |
| December 2015 | Flash Flood | Bingham | - | First round of rain brought about 2 inches to Fayette County. Then the second round of rain from December 27th through December 28th, another 2 to 4 inches of rain fell across the county causing flash flooding. Numerous roads and creeks were flooded. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | St Peter | - | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off of a carport at the corner of Walnut Street and Illinois Route 185 in St. Peter. Also, several power poles along Illinois Route 185 were leaning at a 45 degree angle and several large tree limbs were blown down. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Bingham | - | Up to five inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded across the county. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brownstown | - | Thunderstorm winds blew a large tree limb down and blew an empty grain bin across a yard and onto a road. |
| February 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ramsey | - | Thunderstorm winds blew shingles and sheeting off of a home in Ramsey. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 14 workings inside this county. 4 still produce and 10 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 7 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 3 |
| Stone | 2 |
| Clay | 1 |
| Sulfur | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diller Tile Co Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| St. Elmo Sulfur Plant | Sulfur | Producer | ||
| Fayette City Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Vandalia City Pit | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Hicks Stone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Limestone Prospect | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Occurrence | ||
| Winter Stone Co Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Cocaigne Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Dugan Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hudson Brothers Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Lutz Pit and Loading Dock | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| North American Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Perkins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Weaver Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
History of Fayette County, Illinois devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 11 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaskaskia Township | Shobonier | 1,552 words | 3 | |
| La Clede Township | Farina, La Clede | 1,871 words | 3 | |
| Loudon Township | Greenland, Magnolia Corner, Post Oak, Wrights Corner | 2,736 words | 8 | |
| Otego Township | Brownstown, Confidence | 5,541 words | 4 | |
| Ramsey Township | Dressor, Ramsey | 9,681 words | 12 | |
| Sefton Township | Avena, Sefton | 2,968 words | 6 | |
| Seminary Township | Pittsburg | 1,789 words | 4 | |
| Sharon Township | Vera | 2,219 words | 5 | |
| Vandalia Township | Bluff City, Pinhook, Vandalia | 1,792 words | 13 | |
| Wheatland Township | Saint James | 3,526 words | 7 | |
| Wilberton Township | Augsburg, Saint Paul, Wilberton | 2,837 words | 7 |
One book written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 19 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
Everyone History of Fayette County, Illinois stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1878.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
South Hurricane township · 62011 · On Liberty Creek · Bingham quadrangle
11 sheets, 1944 to 1998
Otego township · 62418 · On Little Hickory Creek · Brownstown quadrangle
11 sheets, 1945 to 1986
Loudon township · 62414 · Beecher City quadrangle
12 sheets, 1941 to 1986
No longer a settlement
Avena township · 62458 · Altamont West quadrangle
13 sheets, 1941 to 1998
No longer a settlement
Bear Grove township · 62471 · On Gilham Creek · Hagarstown quadrangle
9 sheets, 1945 to 1985
Vandalia township · 62471 · On Overcup Creek · Vandalia quadrangle
9 sheets, 1945 to 1985
No longer a settlement
Loudon township · 62414 · On Moccasin Creek · Beecher City quadrangle
12 sheets, 1941 to 1986
The vanished settlements of Fayette County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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