Wilson, Illinois
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Wilson, Illinois
|settlement_type = Former community
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|pushpin_map=Illinois#USA
|pushpin_label = Wilson
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}}
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Illinois}}
|subdivision_type2 = County
|subdivision_name2 = 25px Lake
|subdivision_type3 = Township
|subdivision_name3 = Warren
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|timezone = Central (CST)
|utc_offset = -6
|timezone_DST = CDT
|utc_offset_DST = -5
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|elevation_ft = 709
|coordinates = {{coord|42|20|48|N|87|54|22|W|region:US-IL_type:city|display=inline,title}}
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Wilson was an unincorporated community in southern Warren Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States.{{cite gnis|421281|Wilson, Illinois}} The community was located along Illinois Route 120 (Belvidere Road) and is now part of the cities of Waukegan and Park City and the village of Gurnee.
History
The community in southern Warren Township was originally known as "Warrenton". In 1873, the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad (predecessor to the Milwaukee Road) built a railroad depot in Warrenton, and the following year, Warrenton School was organized.{{cite book|last=Warren Township Historical Society|title=Gurnee and Warren Township|year=2005|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|page=65}} In the early 20th century, entrepreneur Thomas E. Wilson purchased {{convert|2000|acre}} of land in the area, which became known as the Edellyn Farms estate.{{cite book|last=Warren Township Historical Society|title=Gurnee and Warren Township|year=2005|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|page=31}} The depot, post office and school were eventually renamed "Wilson" in his honor. After World War II, Wilson's identity slowly began to disappear. In 1954, Wilson School was sold for use as a private residence. It was eventually razed to make room for the expansion of Belvidere Road. In 1959, the Milwaukee Road Depot was abandoned and eventually razed.{{cite book|last=Warren Township Historical Society|title=Gurnee and Warren Township|year=2005|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|page=99}} The nearby communities of Gurnee and Waukegan expanded, incorporating large parts of Wilson into their borders. In 1958, other parts of the area were incorporated into Park City to avoid annexation by Waukegan. In 1968, several hundred acres of Edellyn Farms were sold to the city of Waukegan for development as the (now defunct) Lakehurst Mall. Today, very little of the Wilson area remains unincorporated, though the name still appears on topographic maps.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Lake County, Illinois}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Unincorporated communities in Lake County, Illinois