there and held a second celebration at Tash Grove. In 1909, the Gill brothers bought the southern part of the old fairgrounds, which became known as Gill's Grove. This became the present location of the Pekin Community Park, where the celebration has been held every year since. Today the celebration consists of a fireworks display, a parade, live bands, three-on-three basketball tournament, carnival, food vendors, a flea market, reading of the United States Declaration of Independence, prince and princess contest, horseshoe pitching contest, a queen contest, cookouts and many other small celebrations around the town of Pekin. Former Indiana Rep. Mike Sodrel said in 2006, “If Norman Rockwell’s America exists anywhere today, it has to be in the 9th District of Indiana. There is nothing that I can think of that is more Americana and Rockwellesque than the Independence Day parade in Pekin.” Morgan's Raid On July 11, 1863, while crossing Blue River near New Pekin, Captain William J. Davis of Morgan's Raid and some of his men were captured by 73rd Indiana Volunteers and a detachment of the 5th U.S. Regulars. Captain Davis and several other soldiers were taken to New Albany, Indiana, and secured in the county jail. 2012 tornado On March 2, 2012, an EF4 tornado hit New Pekin. All five fatalities in Washington County occurred in New Pekin. Debris from New Pekin was found 160 miles away in Pleasant Plain, Ohio. Geography New Pekin is located at (38.503585, -86.014816). According to the 2010 census, New Pekin has a total area of , of which (or 98.75%) is land and (or 1.25%) is water. Climate The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, New Pekin has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Demographics 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 1,401 people, 563 households, and 383 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 628 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population. There were 563 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with