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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, In 1818, the area of the present Village of 
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Baileyville was inhabited by various Indian tribes; 3 years 
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before the Blackhawk War in 1832, Thomas Crane built a log 
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cabin about one half mile north of the current village, and a 
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small settlement developed there called Cranes Grove, which 
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included a stage coach stop, provided a change of horses and 
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care for travelers headed for Galena and its lead mines; and

 
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    WHEREAS, By 1853 the Illinois Central Railroad had 
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completed a railroad line which ran about one half mile east of 
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Cranes Grove Tavern and the settlement eventually shifted to 
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the railroad to what is now the location of the Village of 
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Baileyville;
by 1852 three brothers from Vermont had arrived in 
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the area, Orville, Ransom, and Samuel Bailey, and  decided to 
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purchase land in the northwest area of Forreston Township on 
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the northern most border of Ogle County; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The brothers began to manufacture farm machinery 
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and   are credited with the building of the first self-binder 
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called "The Morse Self Binder"; by 1855 the Illinois Central 
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Railroad had completed the north/south line through 
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Baileyville; M. H. Philbrick was appointed the first station 
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agent, and soon built a store, a part of which became the 
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Baileyville post office with Orville Bailey serving as the 
 


 






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first postmaster; in 1858 the Village was formally plotted and 
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laid out; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The name of Cranes Grove was changed to 
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Baileyville due to the active presence of the Bailey Brothers; 
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by 1858 the village consisted of a hotel, two blacksmith shops, 
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two physicians, a lumber yard, two creameries, a tailor, a 
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harness maker, two taverns, a stockyard. a butcher, a grain 
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mill, two churches, and a two-story school house and had a 
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population of about 200; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Baileyville's two churches, the Baileyville 
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Baptist Church and the Baileyville Reformed Church, have played 
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and important part of the village's history; the Baptist Church 
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was organized in 1856 at Diddens Schoolhouse; services were 
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held there until 1874 when their first church building was 
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erected in Baileyville; the Baileyville Reformed Church was 
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organized on October 29, 1884; the newly organized church was 
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able to purchase the already existing Methodist Church when the 
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Methodist congregation decided to leave Baileyville; and

 
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    WHEREAS, East-west train lines were run through Freeport to 
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the Village's north and through Forreston to the south, and the 
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Village did not grow and was never incorporated; as of March 
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2007, about 200 people live in Baileyville;  there is still a 
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post office, some historic homes, and several businesses; it 
 


 






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remains a good place to live, and a good place to raise a 
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family; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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congratulate the people of Baileyville on the sesquicentennial 
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of their community and wish them continued success; and be it 
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further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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presented to the people of Baileyville as a symbol of our 
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respect.