History

Champaign’s 150th Anniversary Celebration

March 2010 launched a year-long celebration of the City of Champaign’s 150th anniversary. Check out “Our Best Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow” at the Champaign 150th Anniversary website.

The Creation of the City of Champaign

Champaign was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad laid its rail track two miles west of downtown Urbana. Originally called “West Urbana,” it was renamed Champaign when it acquired a city charter in 1860. Both the city and county name were derived from Champaign County, Ohio.

• Read more about the Creation of the City of Champaign.

History of Champaign City Buildings

After a little longer than a decade of meeting in private or semi-private locations, the Council decided upon a more formal setting for its deliberations; sometime between the spring and fall of 1869, the Council leased “Council Rooms” from RM. Eppstein. Rent was $16.67 per month.

• Read more about the History of Champaign City Buildings.

Champaign’s Historic Preservation Page

If you’re interested in Champaign’s history, perhaps you would enjoy following this link to the activities of Champaign’s Historic Preservation Commission.

• Read more about historic preservation in Champaign.

Illinois Pioneers Videos

WILL-TV, in conjunction with Illinois Public Media, has been making a series of videos about local history to help Champaign celebrate its 150th anniversary. They’ve been airing on Cable Channel 5 but there’s no reason for you to have to wait for our schedule, just click on a photo link below to view the video of your choice.