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A History of Farmington
Kyle Dare Farmington, a town of about 3,100 residents located twenty-four miles west of Peoria in Fulton County, was once inhabited by Potawatomi Indians. The Potawatomi rose up against the neighboring Illini when their chief, Pontiac, was killed. Eventually, growing weary of battle, some of the Potawatomi Indians fled. Two hundred years later the descendants of those Potawatomi met the first white pioneers to come and live in the Farmington area. In 1827 two frontiersmen came to present-day Farmington and built crude log cabins, but they soon moved on. That same year Jonah Marchant and his family came and made a permanent home in one of the previously constructed cabins. In two weeks the Marchants were joined by the families of Silas Chase, Ahira Jones, and Theodore Sargent, who all had new cabins up before winter arrived. The Potawatomi Indians were very friendly and helpful. The Indians gave the settlers treatments for diseases that the settlers had never before encountered, and the squaws were very eager in helping in childbirth. This small gathering of people soon grew to a large settlement known as the Marchant Settlement. But in ten years the town was a thriving business and industrial center. Because of all this business the locals established a trading post. Thus, the Marchant Settlement legally became a town and was renamed Farmington. It was named for the rich and fertile soil around the settlement. The first general store in Farmington opened in 1834 and was owned by George Little. The second general store was opened by Morgan Heaton in 1838. This business thrived, and he later opened a second store in 1856. Jacob Mason and his sons opened the Mason House between 1837 and 1838. The Mason House was the first hotel in Farmington and was home to early circuit riders. The first school in Farmington was located in the cabin home of Ahira Jones. Isaac Cutter was the first teacher. The second school was also a log cabin. In 1867 Phinaes Chapman donated land to be used to build a school because of overcrowding. On this land a three-story high school was erected. With the high school on the third floor and the lower grades on the bottom floors, the school was named Chapman in honor of the man who donated the land. Unfortunately, in 1890 a fire broke out in the school. The bucket brigade, summoned by a church bell, was unable to douse the flames, and the school burned to the ground. Shortly after it burned a new Chapman school was built. After that another school for kindergarten through third grade was built. It was named the Ward School, but was later changed to Harris School, named after John Harris, who donated the land for the school. The junior high school, called Chapman, was built in 1917, and has since been remodeled. The high school was built in 1925-26. Farmington was associated briefly with Abraham Lincoln, as were many Illinois towns. In 1858 Abraham Lincoln visited Farmington and nearby Lewistown during his travels for the Lincoln-Douglas debates. In Farmington he gave his eulogy on the Declaration of Independence and another speech about why he should be elected. During Farmington's evolution many businesses have come and gone. Before the Great Depression there were two banks, but one closed. The Bank of Farmington survived and has been strong ever since. Farmington celebrated its one-hundred-fiftieth anniversary in 1984. During this celebration many homes that dated back more than one hundred years were opened for tours. Many homes in Farmington were stations for the Underground Railroad to help slaves find freedom from their bondage. Many events and people have determined the course of its development.—[From: "City of Farmington, 150th Birthday" Farmington Bugle, June, July 1984.]
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