Shirley 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 hav ...

located in southwestern McLean County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, just off

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The h ...

. It was founded in 1854 and currently has a population of 378. Shirley is home to the Funk Prairie Home & Rock Museum.

History

The town of Shirley was laid out on 14 September 1866 by John M Foster (12 November 1806 – 11 May 1898). Foster was a native of Charleston County, New Hampshire. Before the village was established there was a switch at the location and a few lots had been platted. Foster built a brick house and store south of the railroad. The original town consisted of ten small blocks, mostly on the north side of the St. Louis Chicago and Alton Railroad. In 1874, Foster’s home and a store and the station were on the south side of the tracks and a warehouse and mill were on the north side. In 1895 there was a Methodist church, a Christian church, and a hotel north of the tracks; at that time were about twenty houses scattered on both sides of the railroad.''Combined Atlas'', 2006, 173.

References

External links

Shirley, United States PageFunk Prairie Home & Rock Museum
(Bloomington, Illinois newspaper) {{authority control Populated places established in 1866 Unincorporated communities in McLean County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois 1866 establishments in Illinois