Montezuma, Illinois

City: Montezuma

County: Pike

State: Illinois

Lat/Long: 39.5500, -90.5667

Located on the banks of the Illinois River, Montezuma sits roughly twelve miles southeast of Pittsfield, Illinois. The Alton firm Riley and Rider laid Montezuma out as a river landing site. In 1836, ferry owner Joel Meacham added an addition he named Meacham's Ferry. The U.S. Post Office Department awarded Meacham's Ferry a post office in May 1833, then changed the post office to Montezuma in July 1833. Montezuma absorbed Meacham's Ferry, which constituted roughly half of the village. Although the community witnessed growth as a result of river traffic and commerce, its prosperity declined after the establishment of railroads in the surrounding area.

Edward Callary, Place Names of Illinois (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009), 233; History of Pike County Illinois (Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman, 1880), 450.