Ford County Historical Society

04/04/2026

04/03/2026

The Water Tower Museum will be closed Saturday, April 4th for Easter. It will be open on Saturday, April 11th.

03/19/2026

It was a great meeting tonight of the historical society at the museum. Brady Peters presented an informative and entertaining presentation on the History of Railroads in Ford County. He has a true passion for the subject and answered many questions from the capacity crowd. We don't appreciate how embedded railroads are not only to our ancestors lives but in our own. We learned many things tonight and had some good laughs.

03/15/2026

Robert A. McCracken was a lawyer and businessman in Paxton. He came to Paxton in 1860 with his parents and siblings. Mr. McCracken lived there until his death in 1936, living in Paxton for over 70 years. The house he built on the corner of Elm and Center was named West Lawn. The surrounding neighborhood was named that since it was on the West end of town. This is why the grade school was also named West Lawn. He published the book "Hidalgo" which is about life in that neighborhood and his family. Hidalgo was the name of the family's beloved horse. His daughter Ruth lived in that house all her life until she passed away in 1985.

There is much written about him and his family. Instead of repeating it all I'll put links here for you to read. If there are any questions we'll be happy to answer them. Alan and Kenneth McCracken that went to the US Naval Academy were his great-nephews.

03/08/2026

Wanda J. Tornowski, 89, of Roberts, gracefully and peacefully passed away on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Gibson Area Hospital. She was surrounded by her loving and devoted family.  Wanda’s funeral will be held on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Rosenbaum Funeral Home in Gibson City. Buri...

03/07/2026

Website update: Added Gazetteer page to website. Below is a sample. Some places are missing. If you see a place needs added, please add it in the comment.

https://sites.google.com/site/fordcountyhistoricalsociety/gazetteer
Alphabetical List of All Geographic Names in Ford County, Illinois

(Compiled from USGS GNIS data [current and historical/pre-2021], 1884 Historical Atlas of Ford County by Beers, 1908 History of Ford County by Gardner, Ford County ILGenWeb, and related historical publications/atlases. Includes populated places, civil/administrative units, cemeteries, groves, streams/bodies of water, railroads, parks, hills/ridges, and other documented features. Post-2021 GNIS excludes cemeteries, parks, schools, and similar cultural features, so those are noted from historical sources. Minor streets/roads within towns are not exhaustively named in sources beyond occasional references like Ottawa Street; only specifically documented ones are included. Variants/historical names appear in parentheses. Approximate 100+ unique documented names; no major hills or large natural lakes exist in this prairie county.)

Beset Grove (historical grove, site of 1858 July 4 celebrations; atlas)

Blackford Cemetery (cemetery, Gibson City East quad; genweb/GNIS historical)

Brenton Cemetery (cemetery, Buckley NW quad; genweb/GNIS historical)

Brenton Township (civil township; GNIS)

Burr Oaks (historical grove/site for Sibley; atlas/history)

Button Station (see Clarence)

Button Township (civil township; GNIS)

Alphabetical List of All Geographic Names in Ford County, Illinois (Compiled from USGS GNIS data [current and historical/pre-2021], 1884 Historical Atlas of Ford County by Beers, 1908 History of Ford County by Gardner, Ford County ILGenWeb, and related historical publications/atlases. Includes