Gridley, Illinois
Gridley, Illinois | |
---|---|
309 | |
FIPS code | 17-31732 |
GNIS ID | 2398210[1] |
Wikimedia Commons | Gridley, Illinois |
Website | www |
Gridley is a village in
The village of Gridley was founded in 1869 and named after General
Geography
Gridley is located in northern McLean County, with its northern border the Livingston County line. U.S. Route 24 crosses the southern part of the village, leading west 7 miles (11 km) to El Paso and east 8 miles (13 km) to Chenoa. Gridley is about halfway between Interstate 39 to the west and Interstate 55 to the east. Bloomington, the McLean county seat, is 22 miles (35 km) to the south.
According to the
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 419 | — | |
1890 | 474 | 13.1% | |
1900 | 716 | 51.1% | |
1910 | 750 | 4.7% | |
1920 | 720 | −4.0% | |
1930 | 709 | −1.5% | |
1940 | 745 | 5.1% | |
1950 | 817 | 9.7% | |
1960 | 889 | 8.8% | |
1970 | 1,007 | 13.3% | |
1980 | 1,246 | 23.7% | |
1990 | 1,304 | 4.7% | |
2000 | 1,411 | 8.2% | |
2010 | 1,432 | 1.5% | |
2020 | 1,456 | 1.7% | |
Decennial US Census |
As of the
There were 550 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $46,458, and the median income for a family was $51,908. Males had a median income of $36,818 versus $25,625 for females. The
History
Founding
Gridley was laid out on November 25, 1856, by Thomas Carlyle (c. 1832 - ?) and George Washington Kent (1820–1901).[7] After considering the names "Kent", "Carlyle", and "Gardner", for the governor of Massachusetts, it was decided to name the town for Bloomington banker, lawyer, and land developer Asahel Gridley (1810–1881). Both Carlyle and Thomas were working for Gridley at the time the town was founded, and two years after the town was laid out Gridley purchased all of it. Along with many other towns in central Illinois, the town was established when the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad crossed the state from west to east. The railroad soon became the Toledo Peoria and Western.[8]
Original design and the "Depot Grounds"
At first glance the original town of Gridley looks like many towns laid out along new railroads built in central Illinois in the 1850s. In addition to the 100-foot-wide (30 m) strip granted to the railroad, there were long narrow rectangles on both the north and south sides of the tracks. In most cases these areas, usually labeled "Depot Grounds", have evolved into parks or been put to other public uses. At Gridley, half of the northern Depot Ground was dedicated as a long narrow "Public Square". The remaining "Depot Grounds" would soon cause problems for the town. The remainder of the town was a fairly conventional grid of north-south and east-west streets. There were 33 blocks, most containing ten or sixteen lots.
Early development
The early growth of Gridley was rapid. On February 28, 1857, the first train arrived in Gridley. A small depot building was erected on the north side of the tracks. J.M. Mitchell built the first store on the corner just north of the depot. A small house and blacksmith shop was built south of the railroad. Charles Cochrane George Washington Kent, the town's co-founder, moved to Gridley. There was a brief setback in 1858 when a tornado swept through the town, damaging Cochrane's and Kent's house and twisting the newly laid rails, but growth quickly resumed. Kent built the first grain elevator.[12] He then enlisted in the Union Army, serving first as sergeant and then lieutenant. Upon his return he guided the town through additional growth; among other things he dug up trees along the Mackinaw River and hauled them to town where they were planted in public square. In 1884 Fred Donner established a tile factory. It was first incorporated as a town under a special charter.[13] By 1900 the town had a population of 735.[14]
Fire of 1901
On Saturday, May 4, 1901, a fire destroyed most of downtown Gridley. The afternoon of May 3 had been hot and windy. At 3:40 in the afternoon smoke was seen rising from the alley behind Cohn's store. There had been a serious fire in July 1891, and the town seemed well prepared, with several cisterns and a dedicated force of volunteer fire fighters. Soon stores along both sides of Center Street were engulfed in flame. Water was pumped from several cisterns and then hoses were run to the flooded pit of the tile factory. All of the able bodied people in town, and many from the surrounding countryside, joined in the fire fighting effort. The state bank and many other structures burned to the ground. A message was telegraphed to Peoria for help, but before it could arrive the blaze had subsided. Damage was estimated at $100,000, a severe blow for a small town. Rebuilding quickly began.[15]
Later history
Until the third decade of the twentieth century, Gridley had been a railroad town; in the early 1920s six passenger trains in both directions served the town. Then, in June 1924, the newly paved Route 8, today US-24, was opened. The hard road quickly destroyed rail passenger traffic. In 1925 it was announced that the depot would be closed on Sundays. In 1929 all passenger traffic ended.
Notable people
- Wilbur J. Cash (1887-1956), banker, farmer, and politician; born in Gridley[21]
- Helen F. Holt (1913–2015), Secretary of State of West Virginia; born and raised in Gridley[22][23][24]
- Lynn C. Sieberns (1889-1962), member of the Illinois Senate from 1933 to 1941[25]
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gridley, Illinois
- ^ a b "2022 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "P1. Race – Gridley village, Illinois: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ "Village of Gridley". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
- ^ "City of Lexington - Home".
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of McLean County (Edited by Ezra M. Prince and John H. Burnham; 2 vols; Chicago: Munsell, 1908) p.902.
- ^ History of McLean County, Illinois (Chicago: LeBaron, 1879) p. 557.
- ^ Combined Indexed Atlas, 1856–1914, McLean County, Illinois (Bloomington: McLean County Historical Society and McLean County Genealogical Society, 2006) p. 108.
- ^ Court, Illinois Supreme (1878). Reports of Cases at Law and in Chancery Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Illinois.
- ^ History of McLean, 1879, p. 557
- ^ History of McLean (1879), pp 558–560
- ^ Gridley, Illinois: A sesquicentennial Celebration. Gridley: Sesquicentennial Book Committee, 2007 p.3.
- ^ Gridley, 2007, p.4.
- ^ Klopfenstein, Perry, Foundations Strong: A History of Gridley, Illinois (Fort Scott, Kansas: Sekan, 1991) pp. 102-105.
- ^ Klopfenstein, 1991, pp. 175-177.
- ^ Gridley, 2007, pp.9-11
- ^ Gridley, 2001, p. 7.
- ^ Gridley, 2007, p.13.
- ^ "Official site". Gridley Telephone Museum. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
- ^ 'Illinois Blue Book 1951-1952,' Biographical Sketch of Wilbur J. Cash, pg. 198-199
- ^ "Stumping for her son doesn't ever grow old". Asbury Park Press. July 12, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^ "West Virginia University Honorary Degrees - Helen Holt". Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^ Senate Resolution SR0588. Illinois: 97th General Assembly. February 9, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ "L.C. Sieberns Dies at ICC Hearing". The Pantagraph. February 23, 1962. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- May 1901 fire ravaged Gridley - Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois newspaper)