Old and New Cities & Townships

Compiled by Ted Cash

1850 Clinton; 1875 divided into Reed and Custer

Late 19th & Early 20th Century Cities, Towns & Villages Additional Information Township
Alden’s Island Is now a part of Wilmington, IL; named for James F. and H. O. Alden who came to the area from Maine ca. 1847.  Thomas Cox is credited with being the first permanent settler of the vicinity.  In 1836 Cox laid claim to all of the land, including the island, on which the City of Wilmington now stands.  The entire Cox Family moved to Salem, Oregon in 1847. The area was also known as Cox Island. Wilmington
Andres Peotone RFD Peotone
Arbury Hills Frankfort
Arnon Post Office opened Dec. 13, 1848 and closed March 2, 1860
Baker Station named for Clarke Baker who came from New York to Will Co. in 1850 Manhattan
Ballou RFD Wilmington; on Wabash RR Wesley
Barber’s Corner settled in 1832; name for John Barber; Post Office established Dec. 21, 1846; changed to DuPage April 16, 1856 Dupage
Beebe’s Grove Now a part of Crete; named for Minoris Beebe, a pioneer settler arriving in Will Co. about 1834 Crete
Beecher Founded 1872; Named after Henry Ward Beecher Washington
BelAir Now part of Joliet Joliet
Bemes/Bemis Post Office established Sept. 22, 1893; discontinued Jan. 31, 1907 Crete
Bergan Station Named for H. & D. Bergan; on Wabash RR Manhattan
Beverly Farm Frankfort
Big Road Settlement Along the State Road in Washington and Crete
Birds/Birds Bridge On the Illinois & Michigan canal about 5 miles south of Joliet; named for a Mr. Bird who lived near the bridge; Post Office established in 1869; discontinued in 1905 Troy
Blackstone Grove Settled in 1833; named for Judge John Blackstone; Hadley Post Office Homer
Blodgett Now a part of Joliet Arsenal land Post Office opened in 1898 & closed in 1905; Located in Wilmington??? Channahon
Bolingbrook Dupage
Boulevard Heights Part of Joliet Joliet
Braidwood On the Chicago & Alton R.R. Reed
Brisbane RFD New Lenox; located on Wabash RR New Lenox
Brooklyn Part of Joliet Joliet
Bucktown Now in Braidwood; settled about 1877 Reed
Buena Vista Part of Joliet Joliet
Buffalo Platted and recorded June 1836 by Dr Isaiah M Treat in the northwest quarter in Section Two on the west bank of the river. [Source: Juliet and Joliet, 1904] Channahon
Butterfield’s Ford On Des Plaines River; used as a crossing by first settlers entering what is now Lockport and Homer; existed in early 1830’s Lockport
Camp Goodell Near present day Ingalls park; established in 1861-62 as a Civil war training camp Joliet
Canal Part of Homer and Lockport; named for the Illinois and Michigan canal
Caton Farm Post Office opened 1893; closed 1900 Plainfield
Carlyle
Channahon First known as Swifton1 Channahon
Chelsea Changed to Frankfort Station; now Frankfort; Post Office opened 1838; first post master was L.M. Clayes Frankfort
Cherry Hill New Lenox
Claus Chicago Heights RFD Washington
Coon Grove Also known as Racoon Grove Indian reservation Monee
Cox Island See Alden’s Island
Cougar’s Crossings .
Coynes Lockport??????? Plainfield
Crest Hill Lockport
Crete Crete
Custer Park Post Office opened Sept. 14, 1877; changed to Custer Park Sept. 15, 1885 Custer
Des Plaines Channahon
Drummond Channahan
Dupage Was Barber’s Corners in 1856; Fountaindale??; Post Office opened in July 26, 1833; closed on July 20, 1842; reopened on March 2, 1846 then closed on Aug 1, 1854.
Dyer Crete
Eagle Lake Post Office opened 1865 & closed 1902; Now Beecher RFD Washington
East Joliet Joliet
East Wheatland Wheatland
Elwood Jackson
Endor Post Office opened in June 30, 1837 & closed Nov. 18, 1856; reopened Oct. 11, 1861 & closed Nov. 15, 1901 Crete
Essex
Eureka Settled about 1873 Reed
Evergreen Heights Now part of Joliet
Fair Acres Now part of Joliet Joliet
Fairmont Lockport
Faithorn Crete
Five-Mile Grove1 Settled in 1832-33; original settlement now Manhattan Manhattan
Forest Park Joliet
Fort Higginbotham Located east of Joliet Joliet
Fort Nonsense Now part of Joliet; Fort Nonsense was established during the Black Hawk war scare in 1832 Joliet
Fountaindale See DuPage
Frankfort Station Frankfort
Gaugers New Lenox
Gilletts New Lenox
Godley Near Will and Grundy Co. Line Reed
Goodenow Named for George Goodenow; was established in 1870 Crete
Goodings Grove Settled in 1832 & named for Deacon James Gooding; Post Office opened in 1846 & closed in 1901 Homer
Gougars New Lenox
Grange Post Office opened in 1841 & closed in 1842
Gravel Bank Channahon
Green Garden Settled about 1847 by M.F. Sanders and George M. Green; Vermont Precinct Green Garden
Green Garden Twp1 Green Garden
Grinton Settled in 1845 and named for William Grinton; also called Grinton’s Mill & Grintonville Troy
Hadley Post Office opened in 1835; also known as Blackstone Grove; Hadley settled in 1833 and was named for Hadley, Mass. Homer
Hampton Located near Elwood Wilmington
Hayden’s Manhattan RFD Florence
Hickory Creek Settlement Settled 1829-30; Early settlers were, James Brown, Aaron Friend, Wm. Rice, Wm. Gougar & John Grover. New Lenox
Hickory Grove New Lenox
Hoddam
Homer Homer
Homewood
Horse Creek Also Called Custer Park Custer
Idylside Joliet
Ingalls Park Now part of Joliet; site of Camp Goodell Joliet
Intent
Jackson Creek First called Reed’s Grove Jackson, Sec 31
Joliet Township Joliet
Judy Washington
Juliet/Joliet1 Founded by Charles Reed Joliet
Keeversville Located by Braidwood; coal mine shaft was sunk in Keeversville in 1865
Knappa Located by Wilmington
Lake Juliet
Lakewood Shores Wesley
Lewistown Now part of Joliet Joliet
Lidice Now part of Crest Hill; first known as Stern Park; named Lidice for Lidic, Czechoslovakia Lockport
Lilly Cache Plainfield
Lincoln Frankfort
Lincolnwood Hills New Lenox
Lockport Lockport
Lois Wilton
Long John
Lorenzo Wilmington
Lunenberg
Manhattan Manhattan
Manningdale Joliet
Marble Falls Joliet
Marley New Lenox
Martins Landing Partly in DuPage & Lockport
Mather Wilmington
McGlashens Frankfort
McKee’s Town Now part of Joliet Joliet
Michigan Beach Part of Joliet Joliet
Millboro Now part of Joliet Joliet
Millsdale Channahon
Mokena Frankfort
Momence
Monee Monee
Monee Twp1 Monee
Nabenekanong Same as Twelve Mile Grove
New Lenox New Lenox
Normantown Plainfield RFD Wheatland
Nortonville
Oak Hill Now part of Joliet Joliet
Palmyra Deacon Brandon’s dream, in Section 20 – only a memory and vacated plat in the records [Source: Juliet and Joliet, 1904] Joliet?
Parkside Now part of Joliet Joliet
Peotone Peotone
Peotone Twp1 Peotone
Pierce Changed to Wilton Center on Dec. 3, 1875 Wilton
Plainfield Plainfield
Plaines Joliet
Polk Washington
Prairie Creek Wilmington
Pritchie Wesley
Puckerville Same as Gooding’s Grove Homer
Quality Hill Now part of Crete Crete
Rairdon’s Now part of Romeoville Dupage
Raynor Park Now part of Joliet Joliet
Reed’s Grove Named for Charles Reed Family; Changed to Jackson Creek on May 23, 1844 Jackson, Sec 31
Resthaven Wesley
Ridgewood Now part of Joliet Joliet
Ritchie/Ritchey Named for early postmaster, John and Benjamin Ritchey Wesley
Rockdale Joliet
Rock Run Park Troy
Romeo/Romeoville Dupage
Runyon’s Town Settled by Armstead Runyon about 1830 near Lockport
Selfridgeville named for Lorenzo and Horatio Selfridge
Sherbourne
Shermanville was a quarry town where the sandstone was quarried just after the Chicago fire to build the Sherman House. The dump is overgrown with large trees, and only traces of the stone saw mill can be found. [Source: Juliet and Joliet, 1904] Channahon
Shorewood Name changed from Troy Troy
Sigel
South Lockport Lockport
Spencer Village established in 1856 New Lenox
Starr’s Grove1
Steele New Lenox
Steger Crete
Stern Park See Lidice Lockport
Stuenkels Monee
Summit Frankfort
Swifton1/Snifton Changed to Channahon1 Channahon
Symerton Florence
Tamarack Wheatland
Thorn Creek Early settlement in Crete area
Thornton Now Green Garden
Tokio Wheatland
Torino Was a coal mining town Reed
Tracy Changed to New Lenox in 1863 New Lenox
Treat’s Island Settled by Seymour Treat Channahon
Trenton Early name for Green Garden
Trim Creek
Troutman’s Grove Settled in 1831-32 by Joseph McCune & John Troutman Channahon
Troy Troy
Troye Troy
Twelve Mile Grove1 Now Wilton Center; also Na-be-ne-ka-nong
Union On border of New Lenox Joliet
University Park Monee
Van Horne’s Point Named for C. C. Van Horne New Lenox
Vermont Settlement Named by settlers arriving from their home state of Vermont in 1843 Wheatland
Vienna Platted and recorded in September 1835 by Dr Isaiah M Treat in Section Two. [Source: Juliet and Joliet, 1904] Channahon
Walker Now known as Plainfield and was settled in 1829; named for the Rev. Jesse Walker Plainfield
Wallingford Wilton
Warner’s Landing Wesley
Washington Center Washington
Washington Twp1 Washington
Welco Corners Dupage
Will Twp1 Will
Wilmington Was Winchester1 Wilmington
Wilton Wilton
Wilton Center Was Pierce Wilton
Winchester Now Wilmington Wilmington
Wolf’s Crossing Named for postmaster Leonard Wolf
Wood’s Corners Now Crete Crete
Yankee Settlement Included Homer, northern part of New Lenox, and eastern part of Lockport
Yellow Head Grove Was in Will Co before Kankakee County was established in June 11, 1856
Young Hickory New Lenox
Zarley’s Named for pioneer Zarley Joliet

Information obtained from the following:

  • 1 – “History of Will County” by Wm. LeBaron, Jr & Co.,  1878
  • “Forty Years Ago” by Geo. Woodruff, 1874
  • “The Braidwood Story” by Modesto (M.J.) Donna
  • “Will County Places Old and New” Will County Historical Society by Rose Bucciferro