Stark County, Illinois, USA

• Location within Illinois
• Township Map
• Community Map
• Communities

• Rock Island Trail State Park
• Illinois & the Civil War
• Stark County, IL - USGenWebProject

Named for John Stark

John Stark [1728-1822] was a Lieutenant in the French & Indian War [1755]. He was a Colonel from New Hampshire during the American Revolution, serving at Bunker Hill in 1775. Stark commanded battles at Trenton and Princeton. By 1777, he was a Brigadier General, and served until the end of the war.

Established in 1839

Formed from Knox and Putnam Counties on 2 Mar 1839.

Part of the Military Tract

Land granted to veterans of the War of 1812. [More about the Military Tract]

Historical Timeline for Stark County

• 1829 - first settlement of European origin
• 1836 - towns of LaFayette, Osceola, and Wyoming platted
• 1839 - county established
• 1840 - population of county was 1,576
• 1841 - county seat designated - Toulon
• 1842 - first courthouse completed in Toulon
• 1856 - current courthouse finished
• 1863 - town of Bradford platted

Miscellaneous Historical Events

• First Presbyterian Church services in Elmira were conducted in Gaelic.
• Abraham Lincoln & Stephen A. Douglas spoke at the Toulon courthouse [but not on the same day]
• Lincoln is rumored to have had a tooth removed in Dr. Thomas Hall's Toulon office
• Lincoln borrowed a lantern in the town of Saxon