One of the earliest settlers in the area of the future village of Elizabethtown was James McFarland who arrived around 1809.

[4] Elizabethtown is referred to as "Etown" by the local population as the nickname is preserved in the name of the downtown E'town River Restaurant.

[5] It is bordered to the south by the Ohio River, which forms the state boundary with Kentucky.

Illinois Route 146 passes through the village, leading southwest (downriver) 15 miles (24 km) to Golconda and east 9 miles (14 km) to Illinois Route 1 north of Cave-In-Rock.

[6] As of the 2020 census[3] there were 220 people, 188 households, and 43 families residing in the village.

75.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 42.55% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.