Shirley is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in southwestern McLean County,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, just off

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

. It was founded in 1854. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 135. Shirley is home to the Funk Prairie Home & Rock Museum.

History

The town of Shirley was laid out on September 14, 1866, by John M. Foster (1806 – 1898). Foster was a native of

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Before the village was established there was a switch at the location and a few lots had been platted. Foster built a brick house and store south of the railroad. The original town consisted of ten small blocks, mostly on the north side of the St. Louis Chicago and Alton Railroad. In 1874, Foster's home and a store and the station were on the south side of the tracks, and a warehouse and mill were on the north side. In 1895 there was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church, a Christian church, and a hotel north of the tracks; at that time were about twenty houses scattered on both sides of the railroad.

Demographics

Shirley first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the 2020 U.S. Census.

Education

The school district is Heyworth Community Unit School District 4.
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References

External links

Funk Prairie Home & Rock Museum
(Bloomington, Illinois newspaper) {{authority control Populated places established in 1866 Unincorporated communities in McLean County, Illinois Unincorporated communities in Illinois Census-designated places in McLean County, Illinois Census-designated places in Illinois 1866 establishments in Illinois