Editing Elmwood, Illinois (section)

==History==
The settlement was named after a beautiful community of elm trees near the mansion of [[William J. Phelps]], and decided to call their settlement Elmwood.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Elmwood Township History in Peoria County Illinois |url=http://genealogytrails.com/ill/peoria/hx/elmwoodtwp.html |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=genealogytrails.com}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Streeter |first=Olivia |date=2021-02-12 |title=How One Peoria County City Became A Stop on the Underground Railroad |url=https://www.wcbu.org/peoria-public-radio-news/2021-02-12/how-one-peoria-county-city-became-a-stop-on-the-underground-railroad |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=WCBU Peoria |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Johnson & co. |first=Chicago |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofpeoriac00john |title=The History of Peoria County, Illinois. Containing a history of the Northwest--history of Illinois--history of the county, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc., etc. .. |date=1880 |publisher=Chicago : Johnson & Company |others=University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |pages=583 |language=en-US}}</ref> Phelps was the first postmaster and owned a barn that was part of the [[Underground Railroad]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The town was platted in 1852.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Drury |first=John |url=http://archive.org/details/thisispeoriacoun00drur |title=This is Peoria county, Illinois; |date=1955 |publisher=Chicago, Loree Co. |others=Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center |pages=91 |language=en-US}}</ref>

On the night of [[Tornado outbreak of June 5–6, 2010|June 5, 2010, an elephant trunk tornado]] touched down in Elmwood, destroying city hall and other area buildings, bringing down limbs and power lines, and damaging the roof of a theater.<ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=NOAA |title=June 5, 2010 Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/ilx/5jun10-tor |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=www.weather.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Lampe |first=Jeff |date=2020-06-10 |title=Ten years since Elmwood's tornado |url=https://illinoisweeklies.com/ten-years-since-elmwoods-tornado/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Illinois Weeklies}}</ref> Although Elmwood suffered a great deal from the tornado, many town businesses re-opened.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hilyard |first=Scott |date=2011-05-29 |title=Almost a year later, Elmwood 'basically back' |url=https://www.pjstar.com/story/news/2011/05/29/almost-year-later-elmwood-basically/42305354007/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Peoria Journal Star |language=en-US}}</ref>