Mattoon Area Family YMCA is a worldwide spread youth organization, with headquarters in Switzerland, that has been around for more than 160 years. The organization's main purpose is to help young people live by christian principles and apply these principles in their lives in order to live a better and more fruitful life.
The town's name honors William Mattoon, who helped construct the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad. The projected junction of this rail line with the Illinois Central in 1854 convinced local settlers that the land was an ideal site for a community. Swamp grass and prairie would give way to steel rails, homes and businesses. With the westward movement of the railroads, Mattoon prospered and grew at...