Dieterich, IL

Dieterich is an Effingham County village that grew out of a narrow-gauge railroad and two competing early names. Michael Dieterich bought his land in 1870; when the Springfield, Effingham and Southern line reached the area, his station was called Dieterichsburg, while nearby John Grace's tract carried the name Graceville. The communities incorporated together in 1893 as Dieterich. Illinois Route 33 now connects the village with Effingham and Newton. Dieterich is a southeast Illinois place where the railroad is still the cleanest way to understand the name.