Casey

Casey: Home Of The World’s 12 Largest Items And The Popcorn Festival

Casey was first settled as a result of the completion of the National Trail (U.S. 40) and, a new north/south road (now Illinois Route 49) through Clark County. In 1853, the post office and community were named after the Honorable Zadoc Casey, who, at the time, was serving part of five consecutive terms as an Illinois U.S. Senator.

World’s largest wind chime

At the turn of the 20th century, the discovery of oil made Casey a boomtown, and the instant prosperity affected every part of local life. Shortly after the first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1857, Clark County began its experiments with oil drilling. However, it wasn’t until techniques and tools improved by the early 1900s that the boom was fully realized.

By 1907, 2,000 wells had been drilled in a 9,000-acre area between Casey and Westfield, IL, filling 24 million barrels in a single year. The oil boom brought much wealth to the community of Casey and, whether it is in the fields or in the architecture, its lasting effects can still be seen as visitors explore around town to see the most recent attractions — The World’s 12 Largest Items.

Meanwhile, the city of Casey’s Fairview Park features sunken and memorial gardens, baseball and softball fields, horseshoe pitching area, picnic shelters, a bandstand as well as ponds stocked for fishing. The campground has electrical and water hookups, a bathhouse and fire pits.