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is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, 69 miles (111 km) northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. In 1900, 2,665 people lived in Vandalia; in 1910, 2,974; and in 1940, 5,288. The population was 6,975 at the 2000 Census. It is the county seat of Fayette County, the home of the Vandalia State House State Historic Site (1836), and was a terminus of the National Road. In 1819, it was decided to move the state capital from Kaskaskia to Vandalia. Since 1839, Springfield has been the capital.
The history of the name Vandalia is uncertain. Different theories can be found in almost all of the books written about Vandalia over the years. Vandalia was the proposed name of a fourteenth British colony in North America to be founded in southern Ohio, and current day West Virginia. In Mary Burtschi's book, ''Vandalia: Wilderness Capital of Lincoln's Land
Another theory put forth is that Vandalia was named by those who located the state capitol in the town; according to the story, they mistakenly thought the Vandals were a brave Native American tribe, rather than of Germanic origins.
On November 21, 1915, the Liberty Bell passed through Vandalia on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved again.