Chestnut, IL

Chestnut is a census-designated place in Aetna Township, Logan County, Illinois. The 2020 census counted 220 residents. The community is located northwest across the railroad tracks along Illinois Route 54 at Dauphin Street. Its claim to fame, for the sake of town promotion, is that it is the geographic center of the state. In Chestnut, history and present-day settings sit close enough to belong to the same local picture. The map tells the story in Chestnut, where earlier chapters remain visible in current streets, buildings, and gathering places. A small monument to this effect has been erected in a park near the southwest corner of Melvin Street and East Olive street. Chestnut was laid out in 1872 by David Clark in conjunction with the directors of the then newly completed Gilman, Clinton, and Springfield. The land was surveyed on April 24 of that year by Thomas G.