PEORIA MAGAZINE September 2022

C O M M U N I T Y S P O T L I G H T

LIVING IT UP LOCAL IN EUREKA This Woodford County town makes the most of its ‘smallness’

BY SCOTT FISHEL PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

N oMcDonalds. NoWalmart. No Starbucks. No big box home center or national hotel chain. What Eureka, I l l inois doesn’t have defines this Woodford County village as much as what it does have: A hospital, a four-year college, a hardware store, a grocery store, two florists, two coffee shops, good local schools, a grand old courthouse and a sense of contentment with its small town sensibilities. Whether by choice or chance — maybe a little of both — Eureka seems to have eschewed many of the national franchises and retailers in favor of local, home-grown commerce. In the view of local leaders, that makes all the difference in the character of the place. “Smallness” is a point of pride Kayakers enjoy a morning on Lake Eureka, a favorite recreational spot in Eureka

HISTORY RUNS DEEP After nearly 200 years, Eureka has proven it can control its destiny. A small settlement called Walnut Grove sprang up here along Walnut Creek in the early 1800s. Woodford County was organized in 1841 after Thomas Bullock arrived in 1835 from his birthplace in Woodford County, Kentucky. There was another Walnut Grove, so the settlement was renamed Eureka and incorporated in 1859. The county seat in Metamora moved to Eureka in 1894. Sparking Eureka’s early growth were Kentucky abolitionists affiliated with the fundamentalist Disciples of Christ denomination. They founded Eureka College, the very first college in Illinois. Burrus Dickinson Hall, the oldest building on campus, was built

that reflects the independence of the people who call Eureka home. “We pride ourselves with having everything a person might need right here in town,” said first-term Mayor Eric Lind. “A person, realistically, doesn’t have to leave Eureka.” That self-sufficiency, for the most part, is by design, Lind said. It’s not that the village of 5,000 plus doesn’t want growth or the fast-food options of its neighbors — to be fair, they do have a Pizza Hut, Hardee’s and Subway, Casey’s and Huck’s convenience stores and a Dollar General — people just love the “size and feel of Eureka as it is,” said the mayor. “It’s a balance of nice, attainable growth, while keeping the small community that people enjoy.”

66 SEPTEMBER 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE