Ellsworth is a village in Dawson Township, McLean County,

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. The population was 184 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomington– Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Ellsworth is in eastern McLean County, east of Bloomington, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and north-northeast of Le Roy. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Ellsworth has a total area of , all land.

History

Founding and original design

Ellsworth was laid out on December 6, 1871, by Jonathan H. Cheney (1833–1920), Almon Brigham Ives (1816–1887), and Oliver Ellsworth, whom the town was named after. Cheney was one of three sons of early McLean County settler Jonathan Cheney active in promoting the Lafayette Bloomington and Mississippi Railroad; when his brother, Haines Cheney, was in the

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he had helped to arrange the charter of the railroad. Almon B. Ives was a Bloomington lawyer specializing in land law; both Cheney and Ives were on the board of directors of the new railroad. In 1876 the railroad was leased to the

Lake Erie and Western Railroad The Lake Erie and Western Railroad was a railroad that operated in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The Lake Erie and Western main line extended from Sandusky, Ohio, westward to Peoria, Illinois, passing through Fremont and Fostoria, Ohio, Muncie ...

and in 1879 was incorporated into that road. Construction began on the railroad in 1869. The new townsite occupied on each side of the tracks. The plan of Ellsworth was almost identical to that of its neighbor, Arrowsmith. A swath of railroad land cut the town into two almost equal parts. Most of the early commercial development was along Main Street south of the tracks. The depot was on the south side of the tracks, and the early elevator on the north side.

Selling of Ellsworth at auction

In November 1871 an advertisement appeared in the Bloomington ''Pantagraph'' saying that on November 8 an auction of 150 lots would be held at the site of the new town. The advertisement praised the fertility of the surrounding countryside and stressed that the farms were of moderate size. Readers were told that the new town would be the logical point for

shipping grain The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

. They were also told that by shipping from Ellsworth their grain would go through

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, "avoiding the grain scalpers of Chicago." All interested people were to gather at the Illinois Central Depot in Bloomington at 9:00 in the morning. A free train would take them to the site of the new town. A free lunch would be provided, and Bloomington brewers Meyer and Wochner would provide the beer. Some two hundred people consumed 200 loaves of bread, 150 pounds of boiled ham, 60 barrels of cheese and a barrel of crackers. A. J. Wampler bought the first lot. Most lots sold at from forty to sixty-five dollars.

Development of Ellsworth

Many local merchants were attracted to the new town. John Campbell moved his store from Stumptown about south of Ellsworth. Stumptown was soon totally abandoned. Edwards and Wampler moved their stock from a store in rural Blue Mound Township and were soon reported to be doing a thriving trade; Wampler became the first postmaster. Henry Vandervoort and Joseph Pierce opened a hardware store in 1873. August Flint had a wagon shop. The town founders donated "a good lot" for a church. In 1872 regular freight service began along the new railroad. Many new houses were built. Grain was soon being purchased and shipped.''History of McLean County, Illinois'' (Chicago: LeBaron, 1879) p. 658. After a brief boom the population soon exceeded 200, but growth soon slowed.

Demographics

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 271 people, 92 households and 72 families, residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 95 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.10%

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, 0.37%

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, 2.95% Native American, 1.11% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 1.48% of the population. There were 92 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone, who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.43. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.7% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $45,714 and the median income for a family was $53,333. Males had a median income of $32,237 versus $24,688 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $18,439. None of the families and 1.5% of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

References

{{authority control Villages in McLean County, Illinois Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Illinois Villages in Illinois