Orangeville, Illinois

Early history Before 1837, the area was occupied by Native Americans who utilized it for hunting grounds; the Sioux tribe had a camp near Oneco. Game that populated the Orangeville area included buffalo and deer. John H. Curtis purchased the of land, which included the area that would eventually become Orangeville, on January 1, 1838, at the United States General Land Office in Dixon. Curtis constructed a dam on Richland Creek, and on the creek's west bank erected a gristmill and a saw mill. Curtis died in 1843 and both mills stood idle until John Bower arrived in 1846, with his family, after having visited the area the year before. Bower purchased the and the mills. Throughout the 1830s and 1840s farmers from New York and Pennsylvania, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, arrived to settle the area around present-day Orangeville. Of the first 14 settlers to the area, 13 were Pennsylvania Dutch, the 14th was a German immigrant. A Dr. Thomas Van Valsah led a wagon train from Pennsylvania to Stephenson County in 1837. Though the town was platted by Bower in 1851, it was not incorporated until 1867. By 1877, the village population was up to 300 and in 1883 the Orangeville Alert, the first village newspaper, was established. In 1887, the Illinois Central Railroad decided to link Freeport to Madison, Wisconsin. The only incorporated village along that line was Orangeville, the railroad came in 1888 and led to commercial building boom. This building boom directly resulted in 14 new buildings being erected downtown, all brick buildings downtown save the 1906 Wagner Building and the 1899 R.W. Moore Building were a result of the railroad. Between 1888 and 1914, numerous business developed along the corridor of Main and High Streets, those included: restaurants, drug stores, barber shops, banks, watch and clock repair shops, cigar factory, funeral parlor and casket factory, among several others. Great Depression In 1928, just before the onset of the Great Depression, Illinois State Highway 74 (later Illinois Route 26) was rerouted through the eastern part of Orangeville, bypassing the downtown business district. Though the downtown district no longer had a major thoroughfare passing through it, many of the business were able to survive, at least initially. By 1928, the decline in the business community of Orangeville was evident; the bypass, coupled with the depression continued to negatively affect the village. In 1932, the People's State Bank, the last open bank in Orangeville, closed its doors. ==Geography==

According to the 2010 census, Orangeville has a total area of , all land. The village is located in a river valley which is surrounded by farmland. At the western end, and lowest end, of town Richland Creek runs north–south and is paralleled by the old Illinois Central Railroad bed. The railroad bed is now part of the Jane Addams Trail. High Street, which runs through the historic downtown is the primary east–west route through the village and Main Street, which intersects High Street at its highest point, becomes Freeport Road and leads to the city of Freeport. Cityscape hotel and the People's State Bank were the first and last commercial buildings built in downtown Orangeville. The central business district is along High and Main Streets, and forms downtown Orangeville. High Street slopes uphill from the Richland Creek and is populated by historic, 19th century buildings. In total, four of the five structures on the National Register in Orangeville, are found along High Street; the Union House and the Orangeville Masonic Hall are the other two. Other historic buildings in the approximately three block area include the 1888 Musser Building, and the 1906 Wagner Building. The first commercial brick building to be constructed in the main business district was the Central House, which operated as a hotel from its construction during the 1860s until its conversion to a single family residence in the 1930s. All other buildings were erected around Central House, which was specifically located and designed to be the center piece of downtown Orangeville. The People's State Bank was the last major commercial building constructed in historic downtown Orangeville. In 1932 People's State Bank closed its doors. In 1956 Community Bank of Orangeville opened for business in the downtown area. In 1980 Community Bank moved to the current church street location on the south end of town. Community Bank of Orangeville is the village's only operating bank. in 2020, the old Elementary School located on East St. was converted to a 33,000 sq ft. Multi-Family apartment building. The renovations include 20 studio apartments with utilities as well as common areas. ==Demographics==

Using the 2020 census population of 738 Orangeville is the 741st largest city in Illinois and the 11,650th largest city in the United States. Orangeville is currently declining at a rate of -0.94% annually and its population has decreased by -6.94% since the 2010 census. As of the census of 2000, there were 751 people, 297 households, and 209 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 316 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.60% White, 0.13% African American, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population. There were 297 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $39,875, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $30,670 versus $23,646 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,437. About 1.4% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. ==Culture==

Social and fraternal organizations was built by the AF and AM in 1876, but is used by all of Orangeville's fraternal organizations. Social and fraternal organizations have played a major role in the community and the social history of Orangeville. ==Education==

Public education in Orangeville is provided by Orangeville Community School District #203. The district maintains a single building referred to as the Orangeville Illinois CUSD. This building houses the district's elementary school Orangeville Elementary School as well as the junior and senior high school, Orangeville Jr/Sr High SchoolOrangeville High School. The high school team mascots are the Broncos. The district is administrated by a seven-member Board of Education, which includes three officers, a president, a vice president, and a secretary. ==Notable people==

• Tessa Janecke, ice hockey player • Art Young, cartoonist ==See also==