The Village of Algonquin, IL

Samuel Edwards was one of our Village's early citizens. He and his family resided in our community for many years. During his lifetime, he made a couple of long-lasting contributions to our Village. It was his family that donated the land to establish our public cemetery in 1853.

However, his largest contribution to Algonquin was not in a material form. The community was first called Cornish Ferry after Dr. Andrew Cornish who operated a local ferry boat for crossing the Fox River. Once the operation of the ferry ceased, the name of the town was changed to Cornishville. Following the departure of Dr. Cornish from the area, the name Osceola was selected by the locals in 1843.

However, upon the filing of legal documents to register the change in the name with the postal service, it was discovered that another town in Illinois already had this name. Again, the community leaders met, and this time the name selection was left to Samuel Edwards, since he was the principal landowner in town.

The name he selected to bestow upon the village was "Algonquin," after the name of the ship he had been affiliated with on the east coast. The meaning of the word Algonquin from Native American tradition is "across the water," which was also fitting for a river town. The name Algonquin became official on December 23, 1847.

Return to the History of Algonquin.