18 June 2021

The Railroad Comes to Danvers, Illinois in 1869

From The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois), November 26, 1869, Friday, Page 4 --


     The depot at Danvers will be on the north side of the railroad, upon ground formerly owned by Mr. Otis Hall, southeast of town.  Mr. Hall donated eight acres for this purpose and the town two more, and the whole was presented to the railroad company.

     We predict a bright future for Danvers, now that she has the railroad.  Two years ago the township voted $30,000 for the road, with only eleven dissenting votes, while some of our townships refused to vote a cent.  Last winter the village was incorporated, and now contains about 600 population.  Several new homes have lately been erected; Mr. Washburn is about completing one at a cost of $3000; Jeremiah Hall one costing about the same amount; a Congregational parsonage is just being finished at a cost of $2500; Rev. James Mitchell has just occupied a new $3000 house, and Mr. J.C. Vockrodt has just finished a dwelling house costing $2500. 

My 3xg-grandfather Jeremiah Smith Hall (1809-1882) was an early settler of Danvers, a town founded by his older brother my 3xg-granduncle Israel Woodbury Hall (1799-1865).  Israel had died four years earlier, so I suppose you could say he was represented above by his son Otis Taylor Hall (1828-1899).  Otis was my first cousin 4x removed. 

Copyright © 2021 by Kevin W. Walker

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