Villa Grove

Villa Grove, Illinois is “A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE” as the late Rosie Cler always said. Come visit and see why for yourself! We have a great small town feel, lots of good local businesses (both new and well-established), growing subdivisions with an amazing EC-12 school system, and an easy commute to both the county seat of Tuscola and everything Champaign-Urbana has to offer. We’ve come a long way since the railroad’s inception of a town halfway between St. Louis and Chicago on the rail in 1904. We are glad to provide information and links that make our community thrive and assist residents with items that can affect their day-to-day lives. Please feel free to bring questions and ideas to us as there is always room for more creativity and improvement.

The village of Villa Grove was founded on June 23, 1887 as the railroad crews passed through laying rail to Tuscola from Danville. Hiram Beckwith, Danville attorney for the C&EI railroad, suggested naming the new village, Hensonville, after the Henson family who’s land the railroad passed through. The family countered this suggestion with Villa Grove since Beckwith often referred to the Henson home as “the villa in the grove.” Soon after this occasion and the first sales of house lots in 1890, the village began to grow in what has been known as “old town.” There would be a church, a school, a post office, a hotel, a grain elevator, a store, a harness shop and a population of about 200.

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