Many Areas In-State, Named After Revolutionary War Heroes

By Tom Emery

Though action in Illinois during the American Revolution was limited, many locales in the state are named for Revolutionary War figures, and you don’t have to look far to find examples.

Several towns and over twenty Illinois counties are named in honor of individuals who had some tie to the fight for independence. Five Illinois counties are named for men who signed the Declaration of Independence, including Jefferson, Franklin, Hancock, Carroll, and Lee.

The Revolutionary influence is indicative of the reverence that early Americans had for the men who struggled for independence f...