Strawn was laid out on June 6, 1873, by David Strawn (October 1, 1818 – September 25, 1873). David Strawn had moved to La Salle County, Illinois, with his family in 1830 from Preble County, Ohio, and in 1835 had settled in South Ottawa Township. He had been elected to the Illinois General Assembly and, by the time the Town of Strawn was platted, he had become a very wealthy land owner. In addition to his La Salle County holdings, Strawn owned thousands of acres in Livingston County. David Strawn never lived in the town that had been named in his honor. The Chicago and Paducah Railroad was at that time being built through Fayette Township in Livingston County. Alfred C. Hueston, the Livingston County Surveyor, laid out the town. He staked out ten blocks on the west side of the tracks, each divided into nine to twenty-four lots. The town was aligned with the railroad tracks rather than i…
Passages that mention Strawn, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Livingston County, Illinois1878 · page 806Read the page →
Read the text
I opened up and improved a farm in Chatswurth Tp. ; in 1872, disposed of his farm, and on June 3, 1873, the day on which the village of Strawn was laid out, was on ^ the ground, and had the first choice of lots ; i he chose a lot on the north side of the I
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Livingston County, Illinois1878 · page 566Read the page →
Read the text
marriages above recorded, Frank C. McDowell and Laura Morgan have been united in holy wedlock, thus forming a triple alliance between the McDowell and Morgan families. The first physician was Stacy Stephens, who located in the village of Strawn soon after it was laid out. Dr. G. S. Harvey has recently located there, and both practice their profession in the village and township. The first Justice of the Peace in the town was H. McCormick, who was elected in 1869, and held over on the separation of Fayette from Belle Prairie Township in 1871.
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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
