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Decatur

Decatur

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Decatur 1 City (1990 pop. 48,761), seat of Morgan co., N Ala., on the Tennessee River; inc. 1826. It has shipyards, port traffic, and diverse industries, including steel manufacturing. The city has thrived on power supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority . A settlement there incorporated in 1820 as Rhodes Ferry was chartered in 1826 and renamed in honor of naval hero Stephen Decatur . During the Civil War, Decatur was continually raided by Union forces; two houses and the imposing state bank (1832) survive. The huge Browns Ferry nuclear power plant and a national wildlife refuge are nearby. The present city was formed (1927) by the union of Decatur and Albany (formerly New Decatur).

2 City (1990 pop. 17,336), seat of DeKalb co., NW Ga., a residential suburb of Atlanta; inc. 1823. Some light industry is there. The city was named for the U.S. war hero Stephen Decatur . Agnes Scott College and Columbia Theological Seminary are there. Carved on the side of nearby Stone Mountain, in a memorial park, are the figures of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jefferson Davis (see Stone Mountain Memorial ).

3 City (1990 pop. 83,885), seat of Macon co., central Ill., on the Sangamon River (dammed there to form Lake Decatur); inc. 1839. A railroad and industrial center in a fertile farm and livestock area, Decatur has railroad repair shops and huge plants for processing corn and soybeans. Other manufactures include transportation and mining equipment and machinery. Coal deposits underlie the area. Of interest are the Lincoln Log Cabin Courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln practiced law; Lincoln Square, where he received his first endorsement for the presidential nomination; and the city library, with its Lincoln collection. The site of Lincoln's first home in Illinois is in a state park nearby. The Grand Army of the Republic was organized in Decatur in Apr., 1866. Millikin Univ. is in the city.

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"Decatur." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Decatur, Stephen

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Copyright

Decatur, Stephen (1752–1808) merchant ship captain, naval officer, and privateer born in Newport, Rhode Island, but primarily associated with Philadelphia, where he spent most of his life. As a privateer Decatur made a number of valuable captures during the Revolutionary War. Later, as a captain in the U.S. Navy, Decatur made the first capture of the Quasi-War with France (1798). After the war he was engaged in the manufacture of gunpowder, which he supplied to the navy.
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"Decatur, Stephen." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Decatur, Stephen." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-DecaturStephen.html

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Decatur

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Decatur, USA There are at least ten cities with this name, all thought to be named in honour of Stephen Decatur (1779–1820); another is called Decaturville. Decatur became a naval hero when, as a lieutenant, he led a small party into the harbour of Tripoli (now the Libyan capital) in 1804 to set fire to the American frigate Philadelphia which, with its captain and crew, had fallen into Tripolitan hands. The party achieved its aim and escaped unscathed.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Decatur." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Decatur." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Decatur.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Decatur." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Decatur.html

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