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History · Chestnut

Chestnut dates to 1872, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on and old-book passages.

1872founded
0on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
Photo: Commandant Quacks-a-lot · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Chestnut began

When was Chestnut founded?

1872

Chestnut dates its founding to 1872 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1873.

2020 census: 220154 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓

What stands out about Chestnut’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

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Start Chestnut’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chestnut’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
The story

How Chestnut came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Chestnut.

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The town of Chestnut was laid out in 1872 by David Clark in conjunction with the directors of the then newly completed Gilman, Clinton, and Springfield (later the Springfield branch of the Illinois Central railroad). The land was surveyed on April 24 of that year by Thomas G. Gardner, county surveyor. Two years prior, a town had been laid out, platted, and surveyed on the same section by William M. Allen and S. Linn Beidler. A post office had been established there under the name of Allenville in honor of Mr. Allen. On the laying out of Chestnut, the town of Allenville was abandoned. Chestnut was named in honor of one of the directors of the Gilman, Clinton, and Springfield railroad. The Britton Brothers erected the first store, having moved the building from "Yankeetown," a few miles distant; Dement and Clark erected the second store. William H. Daniels soon after started a blacksmith …

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Chestnut in 1886

Passages that mention Chestnut, cut from the printed page as they were published.

is a station on the Springfield branch of the Illinois Central Eailroad, about seven miles northeast of Mt. Pulaski. Two attempts to found a town were made here before it was accomplished. The third attempt succeeded. Chestnut was laid out by David W. Clark, on the land of his brother, Isaac Clark,…
History of Logan County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages, and towns, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent person, and biographies of representative citizens1886Read the page →
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is a station on the Springfield branch of the Illinois Central Eailroad, about seven miles northeast of Mt. Pulaski. Two attempts to found a town were made here before it was accomplished. The third attempt succeeded. Chestnut was laid out by David W. Clark, on the land of his brother, Isaac Clark, in April, 1872. It was liamed in honor of one of the directors of the railroad (first known as the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield). Lakin & Britton moved a store from Yankeetown, or Hurricane Point, where they

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
is a station on the Springfield branch of the Illinois Central Bailroad, about seven miles northeast of Mt. Pulaski. Two attempts to found a town were made here before it was accomplished. The third attempt succeeded. Chestnut was laid out by David W. Clark, on the land of his brother, Isaac Clark,…
History of Logan County, Illinois1886 · page 532Read the page →
Read the text

is a station on the Springfield branch of the Illinois Central Bailroad, about seven miles northeast of Mt. Pulaski. Two attempts to found a town were made here before it was accomplished. The third attempt succeeded. Chestnut was laid out by David W. Clark, on the land of his brother, Isaac Clark, in April, 1872. It was named in honor of one of the directors of the railroad (first known as the Gilman, Clinton & Springfield). Lakin & Britton moved a store from Yankeetown, or Hurricane Point, where they

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
months in the Union army in 1864-65, as a musician in the One Hundred and Forty-eighth Indiana Infantry, though for the | greater part of his time he was detailed on special service. In 1872 he came to Logan County, Illinois, locating at Chestnut, where he was employed as engineer in the saw-mill, …
History of Logan County, Illinois1886 · page 790Read the page →
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months in the Union army in 1864-65, as a musician in the One Hundred and Forty-eighth Indiana Infantry, though for the | greater part of his time he was detailed on special service. In 1872 he came to Logan County, Illinois, locating at Chestnut, where he was employed as engineer in the saw-mill, and later in the junction elevator of Z. K. Wood, Mt. Pulaski. He was ap¬ pointed to his present position September 9, 1884, and is also cap¬ tain and chief engineer of the Phoenix Fire Company, Mt. ,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Chestnut on the map, 1957 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chestnut. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chestnut on the 1957 USGS mapChestnut on the 1980 USGS map1957Kenney sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chestnut.

Famous people

Famous people close to Chestnut

Nobody well known was born in Chestnut itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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Questions about Chestnut’s history

What year was Chestnut founded?

In 1872, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Chestnut’s post office opened in 1873.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.