Bath, Village in Mason County, Illinois, United States.
Bath is a small village covering 0.36 square miles in Mason County, Illinois, with a population of 279 residents according to the 2020 census, situated on a bluff overlooking the Illinois River valley.
Bath was settled in 1828 by John Stewart and John Gillespie, served as Mason County seat from 1843 to 1851, and was visited by Abraham Lincoln in 1836 who surveyed the town and later gave a speech there in 1858.
The village historically hosted annual free fish fries beginning in 1911 during Lincoln's Diamond Jubilee, welcomed showboats until 1927, and featured community entertainment including band concerts, square dances, and traveling medicine shows.
Bath is located along Illinois Route 78 which connects it to Havana nine miles northeast and Chandlerville ten miles south, with the village hall situated at 107 E 1st Street providing governmental services and permits.
The village hosts the annual Redneck Fishing Tournament during midsummer, attracting visitors from surrounding areas to participate in this distinctive local celebration that reflects the community's fishing heritage along the Illinois River.
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