HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
SULLIVANT TOWNSHIP
This township was organized September 9, 1867. It originally formed a
part of Dix township, and upon a petition being presented to the board of
supervisors at their September meeting, in 1867, "to create a new town out
of that part of Dix, to be known as Sullivant," they granted the petition,
and Sullivant township was formed. This township is six miles north and
south and nine miles east and west. The land is the highest in the state
between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river, as will be seen by the map,
showing that many streams have their source in this part of the state. The
soil is of good quality.
The history of this township can be nothing else but the history of a farm,
for that is what it was. Most of the land in this township was entered or
purchased by Michael L. Sullivant during 1854, who improved the land and
operated it as an immense corn farm up to 1876, when he disposed of it to
Mr. Hiram Sibley, of Rochester, New York. This was undoubtedly the largest
corn farm in the world under one man's management. He was a leading man in
the township, and lived in a beautiful grove called Burr Oaks, near the
center of the township. After Mr. Siblev took possession of the farm he
rented out most of the land, and for the accommodation of his renters,
erected substantial dwelling houses on nearly every quarter section.
SIBLEY
This beautiful village, originally named Burr Oaks, is situated on the
Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad. The original town of Burr Oaks was
surveyed and laid out by John R. Lewis, in February, 1877, for M. L.
Sullivant, in the northwest quarter of section 32. In 1880, Sibley's
addition was laid off, and the name changed to Sibley to conform with the
railroad station and the postoffice. But few buildings had been erected here
previous to 1878, when Mr. Sibley organized a system of improvements, and a
number of dwelling houses were erected, a hotel, the largest and best in the
county at that time, a large seed barn, flax mill, stores, offices and
numerous other buildings. A large commodious grain elevator was erected by
Mr. Sullivant.
The beautiful schoolhouse, which is the pride of the town, was erected in
1882, at a cost of six thousand dollars.
Although a town of but a few years' growth, the enterprise of its people is
shown by the graded streets, good sidewalks, a park and hundreds of trees.
Extracted 06 Jun 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Ford County, Illinois, Volume 1, pages 194-197.
