Roanoke, IL

Roanoke is a Woodford County village laid out on December 17, 1872, when fifteen blocks were offered for sale. It became an Illinois village two years later, and Henry Frantz put up the first building after the plat was drawn; John Frantz and Jacob Engle soon opened stores. The railroad arrived as the village was taking shape, and grain and coal dealers followed. Roanoke is a central Illinois town that began with a paper plat, a few storefronts, and rails arriving behind them.