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Historic Preservation
History of Montgomery
- Village History
- Engraved Brick Paver Program
- Family Certificate Program- Honoring founding families of Montgomery
- Living History - Memories of long-time Montgomery residents
- Settler's Cottage Museum
- Historic Photos (PDF) - This link will let you view some great historic photos provided by Gene Michaels. Please contact Village Hall if you have any family photos that you would allow us to scan for our collection!
Montgomery History Book
In 1990 the Montgomery Historical Committee published the first comprehensive history of the Village, entitled "The History of Montgomery, Illinois in Words and Pictures." This book proved so popular that it was reprinted twice. Then in 2014 the Historic Preservation Commission received a grant to update and reprint the book once again. This new updated book is available for purchase at the Village Hall for $34.95. Copies of the book are also available at local public libraries.
MONTGOMERY HISTORY TIDBITS:
- When Elijah Pearce was appointed as the first postmaster in 1834, the little settlement around his home on the east side of the Fox River was designated in the Federal postal records as Wyponsie, a spelling variation of Waubonsie. After Daniel Gray and his extended family settled on the west side of the river, the area was informally called Graystown until sometime in the 1840s when the growing community adopted the name Montgomery. This name was chosen in honor of Montgomery County, NY, original home of the Grays, Kecks and other early settlers.
- In the early 1830's, the Chicago-Galena Road was a mail route that passed through what would later become Montgomery. The rough unpaved "road" crossed the Fox River via a "horseshoe ford" at present-day Jefferson Street in Montgomery. The original stage route from Naperville followed today's Montgomery Road but continued straight at the "s" curve to match up with Jefferson Street on the west side of the Fox River. Present-day Galena Road in Bristol Township is a remnant of the early Chicago-Galena Road, and is still referred to locally as "Old Galena Road" to distinguish it from the "new" Galena Road in Aurora (used after 1837). Today, only fragments of the western route of "Old Galena Road" remain within the Village of Montgomery.