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Hamlin in 1870
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Hamlin was a tiny hamlet on the stage coach road between Bloomington and Pekin. It was one of many small, short-lived villages that dotted McLean County in the mid to late 19th century.
Bloomington-Pekin Stage Coach Line
Before the railroad and automobile dominated McLean County transportation, original European settlers settled in and around groves. Groves provided access to water, trees, and protection from winds and the hot sun. As more settlers moved in, roads were built, usually upon already existing Native American roads.
In McLean County, the stage line ran between Danville, Champaign, Bloomington, and Pekin. It was laid out in 1827 on an old Native American road, and meant to replace mail delivery and travel by horseback. The main stage coach station in Bloomington was located at the corner of East and Front Streets, where a parking lot sits just west of the old Bloomington Central Station fire station. The Vale Livery stable, which housed the horses, was built in 1846 by Newton Hodge.
A typical stage coach would be pulled by 2 to 6 horses and run about 7-8 miles per hour in good weather, or about 55 miles a day. Generally about 6 people road on the stage coach. The stage roads were of varying quality. In rural areas, they typically were beaten paths through groves and prairie grass. It was not unusual for passengers to walk much of the journey and to help the driver push through mud and holes. There were few if any bridges, and coaches had to traverse streams and creeks through fords.
In McLean County, the stage line ran between Danville, Champaign, Bloomington, and Pekin. It was laid out in 1827 on an old Native American road, and meant to replace mail delivery and travel by horseback. The main stage coach station in Bloomington was located at the corner of East and Front Streets, where a parking lot sits just west of the old Bloomington Central Station fire station. The Vale Livery stable, which housed the horses, was built in 1846 by Newton Hodge.
A typical stage coach would be pulled by 2 to 6 horses and run about 7-8 miles per hour in good weather, or about 55 miles a day. Generally about 6 people road on the stage coach. The stage roads were of varying quality. In rural areas, they typically were beaten paths through groves and prairie grass. It was not unusual for passengers to walk much of the journey and to help the driver push through mud and holes. There were few if any bridges, and coaches had to traverse streams and creeks through fords.
Hamlin Post Office
The area around the eventual site of Hamlin had been settled by Europeans for decades, primarily around Stout's Grove, Woodruff, and Lilly, just over the county line in Tazewell County. As a result of increased settlement and stage coach traffic, a post office was established in on the line on June 26, 1861, although a small community may have been formed earlier.
The first hamlet was located at the corner of 150 E and Old Peoria Road. As residents would often visit the post office, a small community center evolved and eventually included about 12 houses, a store, blacksmith shop, and saloon.
The Name of Hamlin
I have not found evidence for the origin of the village's name. It could have been named after a local farmer or landowner. The timing suggests it could have been named after Hannibal Hamlin, vice president under Abraham Lincoln. There is some evidence that Lincoln spent time in Lilly, about a mile to the west and on the stage line. So, it is possible that Lincoln stopped in Hamlin.
First Location of Hamlin
The first postmaster was James Dunseth or Dunsuth. Dunseth was born in Ohio in 1821. He was employed as a brick maker. Woodruff, another tiny Hamlet less than a mile to the east, eventually had a rather large brick-making factory, so perhaps Dunseth had business in Woodruff. James and his wife, had four children and a live in "domestic," so they might have been fairly well off. The Dunseths later moved on to Champaign County and spread out to Logan County and Texas.
Second Location of Hamlin
In 1867, the post office was moved a mile west to 50 E and Old Peoria Road. James Parker was made postmaster and the hamlet was still called Hamlin. A James Parker owned land on the same plot in the 1866 McLean County atlas. A J.E. Parker owned the plot in the 1874 atlas.
I believe the 2nd postmaster was James Ephriam Parker, a physician who was born in New York in 1811 (on his gravestone) or 1812 (on his death certificate). Parker came to Danvers Township around 1845. He married Lucy Ann Fay in Kane County, Illinois in 1837 and Sophronia E. Burgett in McLean County in 1845. He died in 1879 from "softening of the brain" (probably dementia).
The End of Hamlin
Hamlin was founded at the end of the stage coach era. The last stage coach on the John Frink or Frink & Walker line, which served Bloomington, left in October 1854. Frink & Walker formally dissolved in 1856, shifting their focus to grading rail lines. So, by the time Hamlin was founded, the stage coach as a mode of transportation was alread fading away.
In 1870, the railroad started carrying the mail and the stage coach era was coming to an end. The next step was Lilly, just over the county line in Tazewell County. On 11/25/1870, the post office was formally moved to Lilly, or the County Line Station. By 1879, the old Vale Livery stable in Bloomington was a historical relic and torn down, marking the end of the stage coach era. Like so many tiny villages, the coming of the railroad marked the end for Hamlin.
Locations
References
The area around the eventual site of Hamlin had been settled by Europeans for decades, primarily around Stout's Grove, Woodruff, and Lilly, just over the county line in Tazewell County. As a result of increased settlement and stage coach traffic, a post office was established in on the line on June 26, 1861, although a small community may have been formed earlier.
The first hamlet was located at the corner of 150 E and Old Peoria Road. As residents would often visit the post office, a small community center evolved and eventually included about 12 houses, a store, blacksmith shop, and saloon.
The Name of Hamlin
I have not found evidence for the origin of the village's name. It could have been named after a local farmer or landowner. The timing suggests it could have been named after Hannibal Hamlin, vice president under Abraham Lincoln. There is some evidence that Lincoln spent time in Lilly, about a mile to the west and on the stage line. So, it is possible that Lincoln stopped in Hamlin.
First Location of Hamlin
The first postmaster was James Dunseth or Dunsuth. Dunseth was born in Ohio in 1821. He was employed as a brick maker. Woodruff, another tiny Hamlet less than a mile to the east, eventually had a rather large brick-making factory, so perhaps Dunseth had business in Woodruff. James and his wife, had four children and a live in "domestic," so they might have been fairly well off. The Dunseths later moved on to Champaign County and spread out to Logan County and Texas.
Second Location of Hamlin
In 1867, the post office was moved a mile west to 50 E and Old Peoria Road. James Parker was made postmaster and the hamlet was still called Hamlin. A James Parker owned land on the same plot in the 1866 McLean County atlas. A J.E. Parker owned the plot in the 1874 atlas.
I believe the 2nd postmaster was James Ephriam Parker, a physician who was born in New York in 1811 (on his gravestone) or 1812 (on his death certificate). Parker came to Danvers Township around 1845. He married Lucy Ann Fay in Kane County, Illinois in 1837 and Sophronia E. Burgett in McLean County in 1845. He died in 1879 from "softening of the brain" (probably dementia).
The End of Hamlin
Hamlin was founded at the end of the stage coach era. The last stage coach on the John Frink or Frink & Walker line, which served Bloomington, left in October 1854. Frink & Walker formally dissolved in 1856, shifting their focus to grading rail lines. So, by the time Hamlin was founded, the stage coach as a mode of transportation was alread fading away.
In 1870, the railroad started carrying the mail and the stage coach era was coming to an end. The next step was Lilly, just over the county line in Tazewell County. On 11/25/1870, the post office was formally moved to Lilly, or the County Line Station. By 1879, the old Vale Livery stable in Bloomington was a historical relic and torn down, marking the end of the stage coach era. Like so many tiny villages, the coming of the railroad marked the end for Hamlin.
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| Area around Hamlin in 1872 David Rumsey Map Collection |
- Township & Section: Danvers, Sec. 7 and 8
- GIS (see map below): First Location of Hamlin: 40.538912, -89.239098
- GIS (ee map below): Second Location of Hamlin: 40.539123, -89.258059
References
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. (n.d.). Stagecoach Travel and Early Illinois Roads.
- Adams, James, & Keller, William. (1968). Illinois Place Names (Occasional Publications, no. 54). Springfield, IL: Illinois State Historical Society.
- Baber, A. (1932). Early Trails of Eastern Illinois. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 25, 49-62.
- Bailey, J.C.W. (1864). Illinois State Gazetteer: 1864-1865. Chicago: City Directory Office.
- Boylan, Josephine. (1933). Illinois Highways, 1700-1848. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 26, 5-59.
- Bullington, Michael. (1989). A History of Stout's Grove and Danvers, Illinois: 1825-1886. Normal, IL: Illinois State University.
- Campbell, R.A., with H.F. Walling. (1870). Map of McLean, Dewitt, & Piatt Counties. Chicago: R.A. Campbell Publishers. David Rumsey Map Collection.
- Danvers Got Name in Post Office Mix-up. (1936, September 26). Pantagraph, p. 9.
- Danvers Historical Society. (1987). Danvers, Illinois Community History. Danvers, IL.
- "Illinois Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL91-FP5X : 31 October 2017), James E Parker, death Jul 1879, Illinois, United States; citing Pub. T1133 Nonpopulation Census Schedules for Illinois, 1850-1880., Film 63, NARA microfilm publications T1133 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).; FamilySearch digital folder 007282688.
- Kemp, Bill. (2009, March 14). Before Railroads, Stage Lines Crisscrossed the Prairies. Pantagraph.
- Kemp, Bill. (2016, February 14). Before Railroads, Stage Lines Crisscrossed the Prairies. Pantagraph.
- LeBaron, William. (1879). The History of McLean County: Portraits of Early Settlers. Chicago: LeBaron.
- Lewis, E.I. (1907). Old Stage Coach Days. Indiana Magazine of History, 3, 21-25.
- Lloyd, H.H. (1872). Atlas of Illinois, Counties of Dewitt, McLean & Logan. Chicago: Warner & Beers. David Rumsey Map Collection.
- Rives, J.C. (1970). List of Post Offices in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Postal Service.
- A Venerable Structure. (1879, June 2). Pantagraph, p. 4.
- "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXHK-3Y8 : 30 September 2017), James Dunseth, 1860."United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M646-Y7G : 12 April 2016), Ansel Dunsett in household of James Dunsett, Illinois, United States; citing p. 12, family 85, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,692.
- United States Post Office. (1870). Post Office Directory. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
- We Are Living in a Rapid Age as Shown by Ancient and Modern Methods of Travel. (1926, May 22). Pantagraph, p. 16.
- Wells, C.B. (1924, September 25). C.B. Wells Tells Stories of the Old-time Bloomington. Pantagraph, p. 6.
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