Harvel, IL

Harvel is a village in Christian and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The 2020 census counted 178 residents. Harvel was incorporated as a village in 1873, named for John Harvel, a distinguished Civil War veteran who resided in the area. The first settlers of the area were of German, French, and English extraction, and came to Harvel primarily from the eastern region of the United States. The through line in Harvel is the way its history and present-day settings remain visible on the same map. Harvel makes the most sense through those concrete details, with its history still visible in the settings people use today. Harvel is in southwestern Christian County and northern Montgomery County, split approximately evenly between the two.