Allentown is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in
Tazewell County,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, United States.
Allentown is in the
Tremont Township, though it is much closer to
Mackinaw than to
Tremont.
Allentown is northwest of
Mackinaw and northeast of
Tremont.
History
The community derives its name from one Edward James Allen (1810-1889).
The name “Allentown” first appears on the
Tremont Township plat map found in the 1891
Tazewell County atlas.
According to local lore, Mr. Allen had made up the name "Allentown" in 1873 in order to appease the railroad shipping clerk who required each cattle stop to be named.
Allentown was a station of the
Illinois Terminal Railroad
The Illinois Terminal Railroad Company (reporting marks "ITC"), known as the Illinois Traction System until 1937, was a heavy duty interurban electric railroad with extensive passenger and freight business in central and southern Illinois from ...
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
system for a number of years.
A plat map in the 1864
Tazewell County atlas indicates that a country school house was located near the center of Allentown.
A plat map in the 1873
Tazewell County atlas shows that same school as the township's School House No. 3.
According to locals, the location of the school was changed several times from 1873 to 1946 when the final school house building was destroyed by a fire.
A store and post office was established at Allentown in 1879, and remained in operation until 1955.
In the year 1892 residents of Allentown built a community hall, called the
Allentown Union Hall
The Allentown Union Hall is a historic meeting hall located east of Illinois Route 121 in Allentown, Illinois. The building was built in 1892 to host community events in Allentown, a small rural settlement. Like many small communities nationwide a ...
,
where community celebrations, church services, club meetings, local elections, and performances by traveling musicians and vaudevillians were held.
The hall was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on August 12, 1988.
Geography
Allentown is located at (40.555833, -89.396667).
Demographics
Since Allentown is an unincorporated community, the official population is not known. However, Allentown is made up of approximately 24 houses,
which gives an unofficial population somewhere between 50 and 100.
References
External links
Allentown Union Hall Facebook page
Unincorporated communities in Tazewell County, Illinois
Unincorporated communities in Illinois
Peoria metropolitan area, Illinois
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