Danvers, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Danvers is a village in McLean County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 1,154 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington
–Normal
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Danvers Elementary school is 817 feet above sea level
. However, as of Spring 2009, the school is being rebuilt near the original site.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
Danvers is west of Bloomington, Illinois
.
. A rival Town Wilkesborough, just over a mile to the east, was laid out by James O. Barnard on 3 June of the same year. Wilkesborough had 96 lots and a public square. Both towns were part of the great town founding surge in Illinois that peaked in 1836. Between 1835 and 1837 eight new towns and many additions were laid out in McLean County
. At this time it was fairly common for two towns to be founded close to each other as they competed for the same locational advantage. In this case both towns were on the stage route from Bloomington
to Peoria
and Pekin
. For a several years it was unclear they which town would be successful. Wilkesborough did quite well and by 1859 had 15 heads of family, but Concord had three times that number. Eventually it became clear that Concord would was the more successful place, but the people of Concord had to go to Wilkesborough to get their mail. By the late 1870s Wilksborough had completely vanished.
and LeRoy
, the plat used at Concord showed with dashed lines how the streets which entered the Public Square midway along each side could be extended to meet at the center the square. In effect, this unusual feature of the plan made it possible to subdivide the square into four smaller rectangles. This was soon done. One of these rectangles has always been a park, but the other three have been put to different civic uses including a location for the library, fire station, water tower, and school gymnasium.
named Concord. Therefore, in 1861, the name of the town was changed to Danvers. The new name was taken from the town of Danvers
in Essex County, Massachusetts
. During the late 1840s and early 1850s the town grew more rapidly. Danvers was incorporated as a village, under a special charter on 7 May 1869.
, but neither came close to Danvers. A town meeting was held and it was decided that Danvers would, subscribe to $50,000 in railroad bonds. Many other communities in the state were taking similar action, something most of them came to regret: the bonds were quickly sold in the Europe or the East and the taxpayers of towns and townships were forced to pay for railroads that often provided indifferent service. On 25 November 1869 a celebration was held in Danvers to hail the arrival of the first train. A great public picnic was held and large amounts of chicken, oysters and coffee were consumed. Scheduled rail service would continue until December 1982 and the last train special train stopped in Danvers in August 1984. In 1907 Danvers also became a stop on the electric interurban railroad. These tracks were laid along Exchange Street and passed through the center of the town. The Illinois Traction System operated long after similar electric railroads in other areas had closed. In 1942 the interurban tracks were threatened when the government scoured the country for surplus metal to supply war needs, but citizens protested that the electric railroad was vital to local people and saved great amounts of gasoline. Service on the interurban finally ended on 21 February 1953.
. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries Danvers was the home of Dr. F. J. Parkhurst’s distinctive alcohol treatment facility, the Willowbark Institute. Beginning in 1880 the doctor sought to treat addiction to strong spirits by administering small amounts of alcohol followed by a stiff dose of foul tasting Willowbark extract. Parkhurst’s facility operated until about 1920 and was revived by others from 1935 to the early 1950s. Danvers was also distinctive for its drift gas wells. During the last glacial epoch vegetation was buried by ice-carried soil. Its decay produced gas that could be tapped in shallow wells and used for some domestic purposes. At One time there were more than seventy such wells in the Danvers area.
of 2000, there were 1,183 people, 426 households, and 328 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,368.6 people per square mile (531.1/km²). There were 453 housing units at an average density of 524.1 per square mile (203.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.89% White, 0.93% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 426 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the village the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $52,647, and the median income for a family was $58,355. Males had a median income of $41,927 versus $28,098 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,598. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,154 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
–Normal
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Danvers is located at 40°31′44"N 89°10′37"W (40.528890, -89.176820).Danvers Elementary school is 817 feet above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. However, as of Spring 2009, the school is being rebuilt near the original site.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), all of it land.
Danvers is west of Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
.
Origin
Danvers was laid out under the name of Concord on 20 February 1836 by Israel W. Hall (5 February 1799 - 3 January 1865) and Matthew Robb (15 July 1801 – 24 February 1870). The name Concord was given to the town by Hall after Concord, MassachusettsConcord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
. A rival Town Wilkesborough, just over a mile to the east, was laid out by James O. Barnard on 3 June of the same year. Wilkesborough had 96 lots and a public square. Both towns were part of the great town founding surge in Illinois that peaked in 1836. Between 1835 and 1837 eight new towns and many additions were laid out in McLean County
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
. At this time it was fairly common for two towns to be founded close to each other as they competed for the same locational advantage. In this case both towns were on the stage route from Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
to Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and Pekin
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
. For a several years it was unclear they which town would be successful. Wilkesborough did quite well and by 1859 had 15 heads of family, but Concord had three times that number. Eventually it became clear that Concord would was the more successful place, but the people of Concord had to go to Wilkesborough to get their mail. By the late 1870s Wilksborough had completely vanished.
Original design
Like many other new places laid out in the 1830s, the original plan of the new town was designed around a central Public Square. However, unlike most such places, for example, LexingtonLexington, Illinois
Lexington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,060 at the 2010 census. There are two theories of its name. One says it was named for the Battle of Lexington, where General Gridley's father fought...
and LeRoy
Le Roy, Illinois
Le Roy is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,560 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Le Roy is located at ....
, the plat used at Concord showed with dashed lines how the streets which entered the Public Square midway along each side could be extended to meet at the center the square. In effect, this unusual feature of the plan made it possible to subdivide the square into four smaller rectangles. This was soon done. One of these rectangles has always been a park, but the other three have been put to different civic uses including a location for the library, fire station, water tower, and school gymnasium.
Early growth and change of name
The early growth of Danvers was extremely slow. Although both Hall and Robb lived in the area, neither was a resident of the town. The first building in Concord was erected in 1837 by Nicholas Conger, but Conger himself does not seem to have lived there. The first actual resident was Asa Rankin. Eventually a small mill was erected by Hobson and Havens. In the words of the 1879 county history, “For more than six years the place was nearly lifeless.” In 1848 or 1849 a Post office was established in Concord. Most of the early rural settlement around the new town was near Stout’s Grove, which began just west of Concord, and for the first twenty years of the town’s life the prairie to the north east and south was used mainly as open grazing land. In 1836 Illinois had no way of regulating town names and popular names were frequently repeated. There were at least two other places in IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
named Concord. Therefore, in 1861, the name of the town was changed to Danvers. The new name was taken from the town of Danvers
Danvers, Massachusetts
Danvers is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on the Danvers River near the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, Danvers is most widely known for its association with the 1692 Salem witch trials, and for its famous asylum, the Danvers State Hospital.-17th century:The land...
in Essex County, Massachusetts
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
. During the late 1840s and early 1850s the town grew more rapidly. Danvers was incorporated as a village, under a special charter on 7 May 1869.
Railroads and inter-urbans
In the late 1850s and 1860s, farmers began moving into of the prairies around newly renamed town and the town became the center of an exceptionally productive agricultural district. It became clear that if Danvers was going to ship s grain a railroad was essential. In the 1850s the Illinois Central and the Chicago and Alton railroads had both passed through McLean CountyMcLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
, but neither came close to Danvers. A town meeting was held and it was decided that Danvers would, subscribe to $50,000 in railroad bonds. Many other communities in the state were taking similar action, something most of them came to regret: the bonds were quickly sold in the Europe or the East and the taxpayers of towns and townships were forced to pay for railroads that often provided indifferent service. On 25 November 1869 a celebration was held in Danvers to hail the arrival of the first train. A great public picnic was held and large amounts of chicken, oysters and coffee were consumed. Scheduled rail service would continue until December 1982 and the last train special train stopped in Danvers in August 1984. In 1907 Danvers also became a stop on the electric interurban railroad. These tracks were laid along Exchange Street and passed through the center of the town. The Illinois Traction System operated long after similar electric railroads in other areas had closed. In 1942 the interurban tracks were threatened when the government scoured the country for surplus metal to supply war needs, but citizens protested that the electric railroad was vital to local people and saved great amounts of gasoline. Service on the interurban finally ended on 21 February 1953.
Later years
In 1870 the population of Danvers was 356. By 1900 it had climbed to 607 and by 1950 to 762. However, by 2000 it was over 1100; meaning that –unlike- many similar places the town had grown more rapidly than at any earlier period. Much of this increase in population was do a substantial number of people who found the town a pleasant residential base when working Bloomington-Normal or PeoriaPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries Danvers was the home of Dr. F. J. Parkhurst’s distinctive alcohol treatment facility, the Willowbark Institute. Beginning in 1880 the doctor sought to treat addiction to strong spirits by administering small amounts of alcohol followed by a stiff dose of foul tasting Willowbark extract. Parkhurst’s facility operated until about 1920 and was revived by others from 1935 to the early 1950s. Danvers was also distinctive for its drift gas wells. During the last glacial epoch vegetation was buried by ice-carried soil. Its decay produced gas that could be tapped in shallow wells and used for some domestic purposes. At One time there were more than seventy such wells in the Danvers area.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,183 people, 426 households, and 328 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,368.6 people per square mile (531.1/km²). There were 453 housing units at an average density of 524.1 per square mile (203.4/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.89% White, 0.93% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 426 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the village the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $52,647, and the median income for a family was $58,355. Males had a median income of $41,927 versus $28,098 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $19,598. About 5.0% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.