MOUNT PLEASANT

city, seat (1836) of Henry county, southeastern Iowa, U.S., near the Skunk River, 28 mi (45 km) northwest of Burlington. Settled in 1834, it was surveyed in 1837 and named for its commanding elevation and pleasant shade trees. It is the site of the state's first courthouse (1839). Mount Pleasant is now a livestock shipping point with some light industry, including the manufacture of bus bodies. It is the home of Iowa Wesleyan College (1842); the HarlanLincoln Museum on the campus was formerly the home of Sen. James Harlan, whose daughter Mary married Robert Todd Lincoln. Inc. 1842. Pop. (1990) 8,027. city, seat (1859) of Isabella county, central Michigan, U.S., on the Chippewa River, 46 mi (74 km) west of Bay City. It was an Indian trading post and lumber camp in the 1850s, later becoming a farming centre. Its development was sustained by the arrival of the railroad (1879) and the foundation (1892) of a normal school (which by 1959 had developed into Central Michigan University) and of a federal Indian school (1891; now operating as the Center for Human Development). After the discovery of oil in the vicinity (1927), the city became the state's oil capital. Its economy is now balanced between diversified agriculture, industry, and educational activities. Inc. village, 1875; city, 1889. Pop. (1990) 23,285. town, Charleston county, southeastern South Carolina, U.S., on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway overlooking Charleston Harbor and linked to Charleston (west) by the Cooper River (John P. Grace) Bridge. Settled in the 1690s, the town originated around Jacob Motte's plantation as a resort for island planters. Nearby Sullivan's Island, site of Fort Moultrie (1809; now part of Fort Sumter National Monument) was the setting for Edgar Allan Poe's story The Gold Bug. The economy is based on light industries, shipyards, tourism, and the seafood industry. The Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum has several ships that are open to visitors, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. Inc. 1837. Pop. (1990) 30,108; (1998 est.) 41,330.