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Unincorporated community in Illinois, United States
Maples Mill is an unincorporated community in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. Maples Mill was founded circa 1851 or 1852 by Thompson Maple as a sawmill village, and was also called Slabtown. The community was the site of an 1870s-era mill, a post office, school, church, and other businesses. For six years, an unusual wooden plank toll road ran between Canton and Liverpool through Maples Mill.
Around 1851 or 1852, Maples Mill was founded as a saw mill village by Thompson Maple in sections 2, 3, 10, and 11 of Liverpool Township. The wood from the mill was used to supply oak planks for the Canton and Liverpool Plank Road. In 1879, the community was a village of 12 to 15 houses, along with a school, church, and post office. The mill was dismantled sometime prior to 1879.[4] The population was 80 in 1890.[5]
The "Slabtown" mill built by Thompson Maple, founder of the Canton and Liverpool Plank-Road Company, was used to build a plank road between Canton and Liverpool, through Maples Mill, at a cost of $40,000.[6] According to the State Museum of Illinois, "[t]he plank road was just wide enough for one wagon, and in passing, one vehicle would have to turn out upon the dirt road. There were three toll gates arranged along the line at different places for the purpose of collecting the toll, which was so much per mile."[7] The plank toll road proved unprofitable and costly to repair. After six years, Maple tore up the planks and reused the wood. This was the only plank road ever constructed in Fulton County.[6]
Maples Mill Church operated during this time. The church was Methodist Episcopal. In addition to the church, Maple Mill School (one of eight district schools in the township) was also in operation.[4] The post office was established in 1856 and closed in 1913.[8] Hiram Preston was both the school treasurer and (for 22 years) the postmaster of Maples Mills.[9]
The population was 33 in 1900,[10] and was 62 in 1920.[11]
1 2 The Attorneys List. United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company, Attorney List Department. 1940. p.248.
1 2 History of Fulton County, Illinois. Peoria, IL: Chas. C. Chapman & Co. 1879. pp.823–824, 827. Retrieved August 18, 2025. Maple's Mill, or "Slabtown," was started as a saw-mill village about 1851-2. Thompson Maple, of Canton, establishing here (at the corners of secs. 2, 3, 10 and 11) a saw-mill to furnish oak plank for the Canton and Liverpool Plank Road. The mill has long since gone down and the remains all cleared away, but the village (of a dozen or fifteen houses, perhaps) survives. Maple's Mill is the name of the postoffice here, and there is a good church edifice and a school-house also at this point.
1 2 History of Fulton County, Illinois. Peoria, IL: Chas. C. Chapman & Co. 1879. pp.1014–1015. Retrieved August 18, 2025. The "slab town" which originated by the construction of this mill still survives, and is known as Maple's Mill, which is on sections 10 and 11, Liverpool township. The total cost of this plank road was $40,000. It did not prove profitable to the company and but one dividend was ever declared, and this was when the road was in good order and no repairs were needed during the season. The Company got into debt and made an assessment to relieve this embarrassment, which some of the stockholders failed to pay. It became greatly indebted to Thomson Maple for repairs. As this indebtedness was never liquidated it was sold some years afterwards to satisfy the claimants, when Mr. Maple bid it in, took up the plank and put it to other uses. The line was run for about six years, and was the only plank road ever constructed in the county.
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