Towns of Peoria County
ALTA
Alta is situated in Medina township, along the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad. Imri Case, Thomas Hanson, and Loren Wilder, all
three pioneers of the area, platted the town in 1854.
BARTONVILLE
Bartonville, a suburb of Peoria, is located in Limestone township.
Miners founded the village around the turn of the century, and it
contains several large manufacturing plants, and nearby was the
Peoria State Hospital. Joseph Moffatt, and his sons Alva, Aquilla
and Benjamin, were pioneers of the area, coming in 1822.
BELLEVUE
Bellevue is located in Limestone township along the Minneapolis & St.
Louis Railroad. It was incorporated in 1941.
BRIMFIELD
Brimfield lies along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad,
northwest of Peoria City, in Brimfield township. Brimfield was
platted by Abner Clark in 1836, and was initially
called "Charleston". The first settler, Philip Atkinson, came to the
area in 1834.
CHARLESTON
(see Brimfield)
CHILLICOTHE
Chillicothe is located on the northern end of Lake Peoria, in
Chillicothe township, and lies along the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific, and the Santa Fe Railroads. The town was platted by James
T. Temple and Harrison H. Jamison in 1838. William and Jeremiah
Moffitt were two of the earlier settlers, arriving in the area about
1834 and building a grist mill. A saw mill was erected by Ashbel
Merrill about the same time.
CRAMER
Cramer is a small village in Trivoli township, coming into existence
to serve as a shipping point around 1875.
DUNLAP
Dunlap, in Radnor township, is located on the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad northwest of Peoria. Erastus Peet pioneered the
area in 1834, and the town was platted by Alva Dunlap in 1871.
EDELSTEIN
Edelstein is located in Hallock township, along the Santa Fe
Railroad, north of Peoria. The town was started on land that was
first owned by Samuel Burns, and was named for one of the earliest
settlers of the area, Lewis Hallock, who came to Peoria county in
1820. One of the first businesses located at Edelstein was the grain
elevator of Robert A. Green.
EDEN
Eden is situated in Logan township, west of Hannah City. Milo M.
Long started the city in 1883, along the Minneapolis & St. Louis
Railroad.
EDWARDS
Edwards is located in Kickapoo township, along the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad. George Berry was one of the first
settlers, building a mill there in 1836.
ELMWOOD
Elmwood lies in Elmwood township, in western Peoria county. It lies
along the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, and is know for
its fertile land and its abundant coal supply. The town was platted
by William J. Phelps in 1852. John Ewalt, who came to the area in
1831, was the first settler in Elmwood township.
GLASFORD
Glasford is situated in Timber township, by the Illinois River,
southwest of Peoria. It was built along the Toledo, Peoria & Western
Railroad line around 1868, by Ohioan Samuel Glasford.
HALE'S MILL
Hale's Mill was a small settlement, now extinct. It was located in
Kickapoo township, near the location where William Hale built the
first mill in 1834.
HALLOCK
Hallock is located in Hallock township, near the Marshall county
line, near Henry Creek.
HANNAH CITY
Hannah City is located in Logan township, west of Peoria, along the
route of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, and was a product of
the coal mining business. This area was pioneered around 1830.
HOLLIS
Hollis is a small village in Hollis township, platted in 1868 by M.
A. and E. J. Jones. Two railroads, the Chicago & North Western, and
the Toledo, Peoria & Western, run through it.
JUBILEE
The village of Jubilee is the site of the Jubilee College State
Park. Jubilee College was established by Rev. Philander Chase, the
Episcopal Church's first bishop in Illinois, in 1839. He was one
of the township's pioneers, coming to the area in 1839.
KICKAPOO
Kickapoo is located in Kickapoo township, which was at one time
located along the stagecoach route from Peoria. John Coyle platted
the town in 1836.
KINGSTON
Kingston, formerly Palmyra, is located in Timber township on the
Illinois River. It was platted by James Monroe, and it's primary
business is coal.
KRAMM
Kramm is located in Rosefield township, founded around the turn of
the century to function as a point from which to ship coal.
LANCASTER
Lancaster is located on section 17 of Timber township.
LAURA
Laura, in Millbrook township, was platted in 1888 by James M.
Keller. The township was first pioneered by William Metcalf's
family, in 1833. The town lies along the Chicago, Milwaukee, St.
Paul & Pacific Railroad.
LAWN RIDGE
Lawn Ridge is a small town in Hallock township, situated near the
Marshall county line. The town came into existence about 1900.
MAPLETON
Mapleton is located in Hollis township, on the Illinois River. The
town was platted by John T. Lindsay of Peoria, with Samuel Gilfoy and
William T. Maple, who both lived in Hollis township, in 1868, along
the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad. The first settler in the
area was Andrew Tharp, coming in 1826, but the township was named
after another pioneer, Denzil Hollis.
MONICA
Monica is located in Princeville township, along the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad line. Initially, the town was
named "Cornwall".
MOSSVILLE
Mossville, in Medina township, is located along the lines of the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, overlooking Lake Peoria.
Mossville was founded about 1854, and is the principal town in Medina
township. The first pioneer of the township was George Love in 1824.
NORTHAMPTON
Northampton is the only village completely situated within Hallock
township, on section 13. It was laid out in 1836 by Reuben Hamlin
and Mr. Freeman, and was named after Northampton, Massachusetts,
former home of Mr. Hamlin.
NORTH CHILLICOTHE
North Chillicothe, in Chillicothe township, lies east of Senachwine
Creek, named for an early Indian chief of that area.
OAK HILL
Oak Hill is a small village in Rosefield township, northwest of
Peoria, built along the former Peoria & Oquawka Railroad. It was
platted by Joseph Bohrer and William M. Dodge in 1856. Pioneers of
the area began arriving in 1831, and among them were Levi Coolidge,
William Nixon, John and David Combs, Minnie Rynearson, and Casper
Yinger.
OLIN
Olin is located in Rosefield township, along the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Railroad.
ORANGE PRAIRIE
Orange Prairie is a small village in Kickapoo township, near Radnor.
It was the location of the first post office, at the residence of
Enoch Huggins (postmaster), section 36. The post office was later
moved to Dunlap.
ORCHARD MINES
Orchard Mines is located in Hollis township, along the Toledo, Peoria
& Western Railroad.
PALMYRA
(see Kingston)
PEORIA HEIGHTS
Peoria Heights is a suburb of Peoria, and is located in Richwoods
township near Lake Peoria. William German was an early pioneer,
arriving in the township in 1832.
POTTSTOWN
Pottstown, a village in Kickapoo township, is west of the city of
Peoria, along the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad line. Mrs.
Ann Potts, widow of Samuel Potts, platted the town in 1889. One of
the pioneer families of this township was that of William and Asahel
Hale, who owned the saw mill, and came to the area in 1835.
PRINCEVILLE
Princeville is located at the junction between the Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific Railroad and the Santa Fe Railroad, mostly in
Princeville township, but extending into Akron township as well. It
was platted by William C. Stevens, Jesse M. McCutcheon, and Benjamin
Clark in 1837. The first settler of Princeville township was
Stephen French, in the early 1830s. The township was named for
Daniel Prince, another early pioneer.
ROCHESTER
Rochester is in northwestern Millbrook township, on section 7,
founded in 1836.
ROME
Rome is situated in Chillicothe township, on the Illinois River. The
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad runs through it. Isaac
Underhill platted the town in 1835.
SOUTHPORT
Southport is located in northern Elmwood township.
SMITHVILLE
Smithville is in Logan township, founded near the turn of the centry
by Thomas P. Smith.
TRIVOLI
Trivoli is located in Trivoli township, along the Minneapolis & St.
Louis Railroad, in southwest Peoria county. Isaac Harkness was among
the first pioneers of that township, coming in 1830, near the time
when Trivoli town was founded.
TUSCARORA
Tuscarora is a small town in Hollis township, situated along the
Chicago & North Western Railroad.
WEST HALLOCK
West Hallock is located in Akron township for the most part, with a
small section situated in Hallock townhip, and was founded about
1900. At one time, a large cheese factory was located there, but the
town's population has since dwindled.
Hollis Township History
Hollis township is bounded on the north by Limestone, west by Timber,
and the south and east by the Illinois river, directly opposite the
city of Pekin, and about six miles southwest from the city of
Peoria. The lands on the Illinois river are unimproved bottom lands,
but along the bluff, on the line of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw R.
R., are some of the most valuable coal mines in the State. In the
northwestern portion of the township, and along the crest of the
bluffs, are some extensive and very fertile farms. Among the early
settlers that came to the township was Wm. Martin, a native of
Washington county, New York, where he married Margaret Scott, and
came in 1837. Mr. Martin was the first justice of the peace in the
township. S. D. Buck, a native of Cayuga, New York, came in 1837.
E. W. Homan came from Kentucky in 1835. In 1832, Peter Muchler, a
native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, came to the township. S. C.
Wheeler came from Hamilton county, Ohio, in 1844. The township was
organized in 1850, and derived its name from a man by the name of
Denzel Hollis, who came among the early settlers, and was a native of
England.
Hollis Village is situated on the T. P. & W. R. R., six miles
southwest of Peoria. It was laid out September 8, 1868, by E. J. and
M. A. Jones, and is a mining village. The Hollis mines are owned by
Hamilton & Carter. There is also one run by a corporation. The
Orchard mines are owned and operated by the Newsam Brothers, who also
have the only store, where they carry a general stock of about
$2,000.
Mapleton village is located on the T. P. & W. R. R., twelve miles
southwest of Peoria. It was laid out in 1868, by William Maples, now
of Missouri, and has about 100 inhabitants. There are three coal
mines, one owned and operated by Linsley & Walker, who employ forty
men. The Mapleton mine is owned by Mansfield, Gilfoy & J. T.
Linsley, and employs twenty-five men. The mine is half a mile east
of Mapleton, and was formerly owned by Neil, McGrew & Co., but is at
present operated by Frank Newsman, who works twenty-three mines.
There are two general stores, one owned and run by Thomas Linsley,
who carries a stock of $3,000, and has an annual business of $15,000;
the other by Frank Newsam, who commenced business in 1874, and in
1876 erected a large, commodious store building, where he keeps a
stock of from $3,500 to $4,000, and does an annual trade of from
$15,000 to $20,000.
Lamarsh Baptist Church, Maple Ridge--This church was organized
October 27, 1838, with fourteen original members, who had come from
Guernsey county, Ohio. The original members were Isaac and Sarah
Maples, Robert and Rebecca Buchanan, Abram Maples, William and Mary
Maples, Hugh and Sidney Ann Jones, Mrs. Harker and Eliza Jones. The
settlement in which this church was formed contained a population of
one hundred, which has increased to over eight hundred. The nearest
Baptist church was at Peoria, twelve miles distant. This little
church was at first surrounded by Methodist influence, but now
occupies almost the entire religious field in the community. Elder
A. M. Gardner served as pastor of this church from its organization
until August, 1848, a period of nearly ten years.
The church continued quite small for several years, never reporting
more than twenty-two members. In 1847 it had increased to thirty
members. In January, 1849, Elder Wm. T. Bly became pastor of the
church, residing at Washington, Tazewell county, and preaching at
Lamarsh half of the time. The association held its session with this
church in June, 1849. The meetings were held in a barn for the want
of a house of worship. After the assocition adjourned, some of the
ministers, among whom were Elders H. G. Weston and S. G. Miner,
remained and continued a series of meetings for some days. A
glorious revival commenced, which continued through the year, and in
1850 the church reported fifty-eight baptisms and 102 members. The
following year eight more members were added.
Elder Bly closed his labors as pastor in June, 1851. In July, 1851,
Elder Joel Sweet, who was also preaching at Trivoli part of the time,
became pastor of this church. There was another revival in 1851,
when twenty-one were received into the church. Elder Sweet closed
his labors as pastor in July, 1855.
Immediately after the meeting of the association in 1849, the church
commenced the erection of a house of worship 30 by 45 feet, which
cost about one thousand dollars. Elder John Edminister began his
pastoral labors in 1855, and continued for some years. The first
deacons were William Maples and John McGee. The present trustees are
Abram Maples, Joseph Hornbucker and Samuel Walters. Deacons are
Elijah Starks, Samuel Walters and Benjamin Hart. Of the original
members two are still living -- Abram and Isaac Maples.
Schools -- Hollis township contains six school districts, each of
which is furnished with a comfortble, substantial frame house.
Careful attention is paid by the local school officers to the
selection of competent teachers, for which fair salaries are paid,
and the schools are all creditable and prosperous.
from The History of Peoria County, Illinois, Johnson & Co., 1880
