Sorms Fields, Illinois

Sorms Fields is a city in Wabash County, Illinois. The population as of the 2000 U.S. Census was 28,446.

History
The area was first settled around 1918 with the establishment of the Olathe Automotive Plant. Like many auto manufacturers of the time, Olathe built small neighborhoods for his workers.

Olathe's neighborhood plan was laid out for two separate neighborhoods. Parker J. Olathe, who was a strong Catholic supremacist, designated the neighborhoods "Catholic" and "non-Catholic". The Catholic neighborhood enjoyed the privileges of larger homes, a school and a church. People in the Catholic neighborhood were in walking distance from the plant.

Olathe's non-Catholic neighborhood was mostly shotgun shacks, long narrow homes usually made out of cheap material. The walk to and from work was a half of a mile one way. Among the non-Catholic neighborhood was mostly Blacks, Baptists and Asians.

Furthering the troubles of the non-Catholic neighborhood was the 1923 contract between the Olathe company and Faustin Township which allowed the township to build a small garbage dump on the road leading into the area.

In 1924, workers living in the non-Catholic neighborhood organized a union strike against the Olathe Automobile Plant. On September 9, 1924, after the Olathe company refused to de-segregate the neighborhood; Norman Welleck, a 37-year-old African American man, smuggled a revolver into the factory and killed plant manager Butch Lewson and wounded two workers. Welleck's home in the non-Catholic neighborhood was raided, and Welleck was choked to death.

The Olathe Plant closed in 1929 after automobile production hit a record low of 471 that year due to consistent striking. The strikers celebrated on New Years' Day of 1930 by setting fire to the abandoned, boarded up plant, successfully burning it down.

Sorms Fields remained a dormant forested area until around 1959 when suburban flight began. Families from Orleans sought the area out as an alternative. However, many of the families that chose to move to Sorms Fields were living far below the poverty line and brought many of the problems they were facing in Orleans to their new homes.

Development took place primarily around the outskirts of Orleans during the 1960s, but also included more remote, nearly rural subdivisions. In 1968, with a population of 10,103; the city of Sorms Fields was incorporated. The Olathe neighborhoods remained in existence but were no longer segregated. Instead, they served as population centers, being one of the most densely populated spots in the city.

Townhouses developed throughout the city in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Promising cheap rent and friendly neighbors, the townhouses attracted poverty and crime to the city, but increased the population dramatically.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,446 people, 13,546 households, and 7,623 families residing in the city.

The racial makeup of the city was 98.73% White, 0.02% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.26% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,209, and the median income for a family was $29,487. The per capita income for the city was $13,482. About 32.8% of families and 35.9% of the population were below the poverty line.