PEKIN

city, seat of Tazewell county, central Illinois, U.S. It lies along the Illinois River (bridged) just south of Peoria. The first settler was Jacob Tharp in 1824; the town was laid out in 1829 and was named Pekin by Mrs. Nathan Cromwell, wife of a founder, on the false assumption that it was directly opposite Peking, China, on the other side of the Earth. Pekin's first schoolhouse (Snell School) was fortified during the Black Hawk War (1832) as Fort Doolittle. Pekin for many years remained a rough river port. Abraham Lincoln argued many cases in its courthouse. The city was the birthplace and home of U.S. Senator Everett M. Dirksen, who is buried there. A shipping centre for grain, cattle, and coal, Pekin is served by several railroads and is on the Illinois Waterway. Manufactures include corn (maize) products, alcohol, liquor, malt, steel tanks, barrels, burial vaults, and copper, brass, iron, and aluminum castings. The Spring Lake Conservation Area is nearby. Inc. 1839. Pop. (1992 est.) 32,819.