Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
History of Oconee:
The first town laid out in the township of Oconee was called Luro, (upon Section 5), about 1854. When the
Illinois Central R. R. was being constructed, Dr. Ballard laid out the town, which gave promise of being of
some importance, but the R. R. company refusing to put in a switch, its enterprise speedily died out. Ervin
Sanders erected a store and sold the first goods in the town. Freeman, Roberts & Hinton also put up a store,
and opened a stock of goods in Dec. 1854. The town died out and the store buildings were removed to
Oconee, a newer town, laid out in the following year. April, 1855, Oconee was surveyed by E. G.
Shallenberger, the county surveyor, on Section 20, for Morris, Ketchum & Co. Freeman, Roberts & Hinton
having removed their store building from Luro, began selling goods in August, 1855. This was the first stock of
goods taken into the town of Oconee.
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]1855 During this year, a post office named Luro was renamed Oconee Station. It did not shorten the name to Oconee until 1872.
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Several other post offices opened the same year only to vanish. In Oconee Township, the community of Luro opened a post office May 15, 1864. It continued for less than a year when mail service was diverted to the growing community of Oconee and Luro vanished.
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The first town laid out in the township of Oconee was called Luro, (upon Section 5), about 1854. When the
Illinois Central R. R. was being constructed, Dr. Ballard laid out the town, which gave promise of being of
some importance, but the R. R. company refusing to put in a switch, its enterprise speedily died out. Ervin
Sanders erected a store and sold the first goods in the town. Freeman, Roberts & Hinton also put up a store,
and opened a stock of goods in Dec. 1854. The town died out and the store buildings were removed to
Oconee, a newer town, laid out in the following year. April, 1855, Oconee was surveyed by E. G.
Shallenberger, the county surveyor, on Section 20, for Morris, Ketchum & Co. Freeman, Roberts & Hinton
having removed their store building from Luro, began selling goods in August, 1855. This was the first stock of
goods taken into the town of Oconee.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
]1855 During this year, a post office named Luro was renamed Oconee Station. It did not shorten the name to Oconee until 1872.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Several other post offices opened the same year only to vanish. In Oconee Township, the community of Luro opened a post office May 15, 1864. It continued for less than a year when mail service was diverted to the growing community of Oconee and Luro vanished.
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