Beaverville, IL

Set among the quiet farm fields of Iroquois County, Beaverville is a small village about seven miles west of the Indiana border, roughly between Kankakee and Watseka. The community was established in the 1850s by French Canadian families who journeyed south looking for good farmland, originally calling their new home St. Marie. You can still see that heritage in the center of town at St. Mary's Catholic Church, a towering landmark often called the Cathedral of the Prairie that rises high above the surrounding countryside.

ATTRNyttend / Public domain

The town took the name Beaverville in 1905 after discovering another St. Mary in Illinois, borrowing the new title from nearby Beaver Lake and the surrounding marshlands. Today, it is a quiet, close-knit rural community of around three hundred people. Life here moves at a relaxed pace, making it an easy fit for anyone who values open space, friendly neighbors, and a deep connection to local history.