De Land: Town Planning, Church and Library History
Accommodation in De Land
De Land’s history unfolds through several precisely dated milestones: the town was laid out in 1873, its church history dates back to the 1870s, and the Carnegie Library in De Land first opened to the public in 1912. The preserved arrangement of the streets named on the town plan also gives the town a concrete historical reference point. If you are looking for a hotel in De Land, you can base your choice of destination on topics such as town planning, church and library history, or the transportation history of Champaign County.
Town Plan and Street Layout
De Land was laid out for Thomas E. Bondurant on April 23 and 25 and May 20 and 21, 1873. The original town plan comprised 16 full blocks and four half-blocks along the railroad. The original street layout has been preserved; the streets named on the town plan remain in the same arrangement. The plan thus combines information about the number and shape of the blocks with an explicitly stated location along the railroad. Together, the dates and spatial layout offer different points of reference for the town’s early development.
Church History in the 1870s
The Union Church was built in early 1876 at the northwest corner of the intersection of Indiana Avenue and Fourth Street and dedicated on July 23 of that year. Around 1874, the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church was moved from the Ashland school-house to De Land, while Mr. Winterbottom was pastor. Chronologically, the move preceded the dedication of the Union Church and adds a separate aspect of local church history to the building history. The dates differ in their degree of precision: the move is dated to around 1874, while the Union Church dedication took place on July 23, 1876.
Library History
The Carnegie Library in De Land first opened to the public in 1912. Compared with the town-planning and church events of the 1870s, this date provides a later point of reference in local history. Library history thus complements the topics of town development and religious life.
Transportation History of Champaign County
On February 12, 2024, the free program “Transportation in History” took place at the Goose Creek District Library, 220 N Hwy, De Land, Illinois 61839, and at the Champaign Public Library. Registration was not required; the program was open to people aged six and older. Participants learned about the transportation history of Champaign County through three forms of transportation, as well as artifacts and activities from the Education Collection. This dated program adds a topic to local history that goes beyond the planning of individual streets.
In the Wider Travel Area
The Goose Creek Township Carnegie Library in Goose Creek Township was dedicated in 1912; it is part of the Lincoln Trail Libraries System. If you are planning a visit to this library, please check the latest opening information in advance.
Back to the broader travel overview: Piatt.
