Editing Chatsworth, Illinois (section)

==History==

===Founding===

Chatsworth was laid out by Zeno Secor (1809 – 1875)<ref>For a brief obituary and dates see [Chatsworth Illinois Memories] http://sites.google.com/site/chatsworthillinoismemories/ p.4.</ref> and Cornelia Gilman on June 8, 1859. Both founders were from [[New York (state)|New York]]. Secor was a member of the Board of Directors of the company that was building the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad.<ref>''American Railroad Manual for the United States and the Dominion of Canada'' (New York: American Railroad Manual Company, 1874) 1:495.</ref> He was a noted [[civil engineer]] and marine engine designer, who was involved with a number of railroads. Secor was later president of the [[Toledo Peoria and Western Railroad]]. Secor is best known for building a number of [[ironclad warship]]s for the [[Union Navy]]. Cornelia Gilman was perhaps the person of that name who was the wife of Samuel Gilman, another director of the firm, and the man who gave his name to the nearby town of [[Gilman, Illinois|Gilman]].<ref>''History of Livingston County, Illinois'' (Chicago: LeBaron, 1878)  p. 379.</ref> The town of Chatsworth is perhaps named for [[Chatsworth House]], the home of the [[Duke of Devonshire]].<ref>Edward Callary, ''Place Names of Illinois'' (Urbana: University of Illinois, 2008) p. 66. Callay also includes other possibilities for the name.</ref> Trains were running along the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad before the town was platted. The railroad soon became the Toledo, Peoria and Western.

===Original design===

Chatsworth was surveyed by Nelson Buck, the County Surveyor of Livingston County.<ref>''History of Livingston'', 1878, p.392.</ref> However, the plan used was virtually identical to that used at [[Fairbury, Illinois|Fairbury]], including the street names, and very similar to that used at [[Gridley, Illinois|Gridley]], [[El Paso, Illinois|El Paso]] and other places along the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad. This suggests that the railroad supplied the plan from which Buck worked. Like these other towns, Chatsworth was centered on a long narrow depot grounds rather than a public square. The plat of the original town was exceptionally large, covering {{convert|160|acre|km2}} and consisting of 42 blocks, most located north of the railroad. The early depot was on the south side of the tracks.<ref>''Standard Atlas of Livingston County Illinois'' (Chicago: George A. Ogle, 1911) pp 25-26.</ref> Block 16 of the plat was not divided into lots, and 1878 was listed as the City Park. It was eventually planted with over 500 [[maple]] trees, and a pavilion was added in 1962.<ref>''Chatsworth Area Centennial Celebration'' (Chatsworth: Centennial Historical Committee, 1967) No page numbers.</ref>

===Growth===

The first building was a {{frac|1|1|2}}-story frame structure used as both a residence and store, which was built by Charles D. Brooks and Truman Brockway of [[New York (state)|New York]]. Brooks was the first postmaster and the first grain dealer. Early growth of the town was very rapid, and by 1870 Chatsworth had 999 people.<ref name="DecennialCensus"/> The first hotel was the Cottage House, built by Samuel Patton. Soon a newspaper, the ''Plaindealer'', was being published.<ref>''History of Livingston, 1858, pp 392-393.''</ref> In 1879 a second railroad, the Kankakee and Southwestern, passed through the town and was given a right of way down Second Street. In 1887 the town rendered aid in the train accident known as the [[Great Chatsworth Train Wreck]]. Telephone service came in 1883, and an electric light plant was built in 1894. In March 1924 seventy to one hundred men arrived in town to work on a paved highway, at first known as the Corn Belt Trail, which soon became [[U.S. Route 24|Route 24]] and formed an important east–west route across Illinois.<ref>''Chatsworth Centennial'', 1967.</ref>