Waddams Grove, previously known as Wadam's, Waddam's Grove, and Sada, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the Stephenson County

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

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. Waddams Grove was the first settlement in Stephenson County. It is located northwest of Lena. The community is near the site of the Battle of Waddams Grove which took place during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

History

Toward the end of the summer of 1832, William Waddams, and his sons Hiram and Nelson, arrived in Stephenson County and founded Waddams Grove following the end of the Black Hawk War.History of Stephenson County
Retrieved on August 18, 2007 This created the first permanent settlement in the county, and paved the way for future settlements. Waddams moved his family from Jo Daviess County in the spring of 1833 to the new settlement, and built his home there. Waddams would stay in the community until his death after having lived in other settlements including in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is a city in Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Illinois River, the city had a population of 113,150 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Ill ...

, and

Galena, Illinois Galena is the largest city in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 3,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A section of the city is listed on the National Register of Historic Plac ...

. Waddams Grove is considered the launching spot for all other settlements in Stephenson County; most settlers stopped at Waddams Grove before moving on to their land claims. From 1832 to 1836, Waddams Grove continued to see strong growth. When Stephenson County was established in 1837, the settlement was not one of the settlements selected for the future location of 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 ...

. The settlement's first U.S. Post Office opened on March 31, 1838, and would continue to function in the village of Waddams Grove until July 28, 1859.Illinois Family History Research: Place Names of the 33 Western Counties
Retrieved on August 19, 2007 The village changed its name to Wadam's, and then again changed its name to Sada. Sada changed its name back to Waddams Grove on January 14, 1876, and the name remains to this day.

Notes

External links

USGS
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Stephenson County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois Populated places established in 1832 Black Hawk War 1832 establishments in Illinois