Have you seen the new banners being sported in downtown Urbana?
A very fitting design since 160 years ago, on February 14, 1855, The City of Urbana was chartered by an act of the Illinois General Assembly.
Here is a snippet from page one of the sixteen page charter:
It reads:
An act to charter the City of Urbana.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the people of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, that the inhabitants of the town of Urbana in the County of Champaign and State of Illinois [?] they are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate by the name and style of the City of Urbana, and by that name and style shall have perpetual succession and may have and use a common seal, which they may change and alter at pleasure.
And the final page signed and awaiting seal on the auspicious date.
It reads in part:
Sec. 12. This act to take effect on its passage.
Tho[mas] J. Turner
Speaker of the House of Representatives
G. Koerner
Speaker of the Senate
Approved Feb, 14, 1855
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[1] City Charter. City Clerk/City of Urbana, IL, 1855
01.01 1855.1. Urbana City Records Microfiche
Champaign County Historical Archives
Posted by: Marnie H., Archives Assistant and Sherrie B., Archives Librarian