Grantfork, IL

Grantfork began as Fitz James, then Saline, when settlers laid out the village in 1840. Saline was incorporated in 1886 and changed its name to Grantfork in 1920. Today the Madison County village sits five miles north of Highland along Illinois Route 160, with the East Fork of Silver Creek running through its southeast corner. That history of names and waterways gives the place a small but distinct map: one road through the village, a creek at the edge, and St. Louis 36 miles southwest.

Grantfork's present calendar gathers at a few familiar places. The Grantfork Historical Society meets on the second Thursday at the Village Hall and Senior Center, where members are also collecting artifacts for a future display in the old city hall. The annual Grantfork Homecoming takes over Firemen's Park each August with a children's parade, food, games, and entertainment, while village board meetings and household collection dates appear on the municipal calendar. Grantfork is a St. Louis-area village whose current routines still run through the hall, park, and old names.