The candidates are not in short supply. We have had mayors who served multiple terms and clerks who served lifetimes. We have had men who built grain warehouses on the riverbank when the riverbank was all there was, and women who left fortunes behind to make sure the next generation had a place to swim. We have had a writer who created Zorro and a businessman who paid his men in silver dollars just to make a point.

Choosing only four is no easy task. But after a fair amount of thought, here are the faces I would place on Chillicothe’s Mt. Rushmore.

Most Chillicothe residents have driven down Truitt Avenue countless times, but many know little about the man whose name it bears.

Arriving in Chillicothe from Vevay, Indiana, in 1850 after working in the grain trade along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Henry Truitt recognized the potential of the fledgling community and purchased two hundred acres for the growing business of Truitt & Jack. He shipped grain and produce from the small farming town to major markets in Chicago and St. Louis. As Chillicothe grew, Truitt emerged as one of the community’s most influential businessmen. His interests extended across several industries, particularly grain, lumber, and produce. By the early 1850s, business had grown enough that he constructed a warehouse on Water Street to support the increasing volume of trade.

Only a year after settling in Chillicothe, Truitt platted the town’s first four additions, surveying streets and building lots that helped shape the community for generations to come.

Henry Truitt established the Truitt-Matthews Bank in 1866 with P.T. Matthews, S.C. Jack, and Harvey Holman. He was a major stockholder, as well as president of the financial institution, one of the first banks in the Chillicothe area. As the community continued to flourish, so did the city’s business interests. The early city grew from a farming and trading settlement to a center of commerce. Truitt was one of the leading bankers and investors of the county.

After retiring from the grain trade in 1872, he continued to be involved in the development of the city’s business and social interests. He served as mayor of Chillicothe for two terms and remained a major player in all the city’s enterprises for the remainder of his life.

Truitt, a true founding father of Chillicothe, died in 1884. To honor his contributions, the community later named Willow Street after him, preserving the memory of one of the town’s earliest leaders. More than 140 years after his death, Chillicothe residents still travel the streets he surveyed and helped establish, often without realizing they are following a path first laid out by Henry Truitt.

If Henry Truitt helped build Chillicothe, Ilion Crabel helped keep it running. Born Ilion Wait in 1898, Crabel moved to the Peoria County seat at an early age following the death of her father.

At just 24 years old, Ilion Crabel was elected Chillicothe’s city clerk in 1923, only three years after women won the right to vote in the United States. And so began a period of service unparalleled in Illinois history, one that would define the rest of her 93-year life. Crabel held the city clerk office for an astonishing sixty-six consecutive years. She also served as township clerk for 65 years, plus decades more as registrar of vital records. Through changing mayors, the Great Depression, World War II, and eras of expansion and decline, Crabel stood as a fixture at Chillicothe City Hall.

During her years of service, Crabel served under fifteen different mayors. Through all the changes in elected leadership, she maintained the records, traditions, and procedures of local government. It is unlikely anyone in the history of Chillicothe witnessed and experienced more of the community’s growth and development than she did.

And while much of what Crabel did as a public servant happened behind the scenes, the effects of her work were everywhere. Registering voters, maintaining public records, issuing marriage licenses, recording deeds of transfer, keeping cemetery records, and archiving historical documents were all duties she performed for her community. If you had a baby in Chillicothe, married a Chillicothean, bought a home, registered to vote, or lost a loved one during much of the twentieth century, the odds are strong that Crabel helped facilitate that process.

In 1973, Chillicothe recognized 50 years of Crabel’s service by declaring Ilion Wait Crabel Day. In 1988, Crabel, then 90 years old, was visited by Vice President George H. W. Bush, who came to Chillicothe to honor her as one of the nation’s longest-serving elected officials. When Crabel retired from city government in 1989, the town benefited from 66 years of her public service and dedication.

Crabel Court serves as a lasting tribute to Ilion Crabel, but her influence extends far beyond a street name. Few individuals devoted more of themselves to the service of Chillicothe, and her legacy remains woven throughout the community she faithfully served for 66 years. It is difficult to find another individual who devoted more of themselves to the service of Chillicothe than Ilion Crabel.

Kenneth C. “Kenny” Koch was one of the most influential business and development leaders in Chillicothe during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Chillicothe on July 5, 1918, Koch spent his entire life invested in the growth and success of his hometown. He possessed a unique ability to see opportunities for development and community improvement long before others recognized their potential.

Koch began his entrepreneurial career in 1939 when he entered the trucking industry, eventually building what became known as Chillicothe Cartage Corporation. His business success allowed him to pursue larger ventures that would leave a lasting imprint on the community. During the 1950s and early 1960s, he became one of Chillicothe’s most active real estate developers. Through Chillicothe Developers and his own development projects, he platted the Cloverdale and Hillcrest Park subdivisions, helping guide much of the city’s residential expansion during the postwar years. The neighborhoods he created provided housing opportunities for hundreds of families and remain important parts of the community today.

One of Koch’s most significant holdings was his Cloverdale Farm on the western edge of Chillicothe. The property would later become the site of Illinois Valley Central High School, meaning that generations of students have attended school on land once owned and developed by Koch. It is a lasting reminder of how closely his vision became intertwined with the community’s future growth.

Beyond residential development, Koch played a significant role in the city’s commercial and financial growth. He engaged in the development of Plaza Park Shopping Center and served as president of Peoples Savings and Loan, helping support economic investment throughout the area. His influence extended beyond business interests, as he frequently donated land and resources for projects that benefited the public. Among his contributions were land donations that supported church growth and healthcare-related facilities, including property associated with the Parkhill Nursing Home expansion.

When he died unexpectedly on December 30, 1966, at the age of forty-eight, Chillicothe lost a visionary businessman whose impact can still be seen throughout the community he helped shape.

Barbara “Barb” Truitt was one of the most remarkable and influential citizens in Chillicothe’s history. Born in 1918, she was the daughter of Henry Truitt III and Helen Truitt and a direct descendant of Henry Truitt that helped establish and shape the community. After attending Chillicothe schools, she studied business at the University of Illinois, preparing for a life that would combine leadership, entrepreneurship, and public service.

Barb’s life extended far beyond the boundaries of her hometown. During World War II, she served as a pilot, ferrying aircraft across oceans and demonstrating the same courage and independence that would define her throughout her life. She later spent time in South Korea managing a hotel before returning to Chillicothe in the 1950s. Although she had the resources and opportunities to live anywhere, she chose to invest her future in the community she loved.

As a businesswoman, Barb was a successful real estate and insurance agent and became President of First National Bank of Chillicothe. She later served as chairman of the board of First Chillicothe Corporation and was a strong advocate for maintaining local ownership and local decision-making within the bank. Her leadership helped preserve an important institution that served generations of area residents.

Yet Barb’s greatest legacy may be her philanthropy. Through the Chillicothe Foundation, which she founded and generously endowed, she provided financial support for projects that transformed the community. Her contributions helped make possible the Pearce Community Center, including major renovations and the addition of a swimming pool. She also supported scholarships for local students, downtown improvements, riverfront development, historical preservation projects, and numerous civic initiatives.

Known for her independence, generosity, and unwavering belief in Chillicothe’s future, Barb Truitt devoted her life and resources to improving the community. Her vision, leadership, and philanthropy continue to benefit residents long after her passing, making her one of the most influential figures in modern Chillicothe history.