Ringwood, IL

Ringwood is a McHenry County village whose name comes from the ring of timber that surrounded the settlement when Luke Hale and William Beach arrived from Vermont in 1837. A post office followed in 1845, a Methodist church in 1855, and the railroad helped turn the crossroads into a small commercial center with stores, a feed mill, blacksmith, and dairy business. Ringwood incorporated in 1994 as nearby Johnsburg’s growth pressed closer. The historic post office and Ringwood Commons still mark the center. Ringwood is an Illinois village where woods, rail, farms, and a deliberate boundary have kept the old name on the map.