Founded and supported by the Franklin Grove Area Historical Society, Chaplin Creek Village is an evolving, full-scale historical restoration project depicting a prairie settlement typical of the middle 19th century. The village is being developed around a crossroads named Timothy and Taylor as many small communities did at that time. The name for the village, “Chaplin”, comes from the first settlement in the area, which was originally located just north of the historic site at the intersection of Lahman and State streets in Franklin Grove.
As of today, several historically significant buildings and artifacts have been relocated to Chaplin Creek Village from the surrounding area serving as the focal point for the development. The first building was a blacksmith shop moved from Ashton, Illinois. Next came a saltbox style house that was built in the middle 1800’s and relocated from west of Rochelle. A typical country schoolhouse from north of Ashton followed the saltbox house. Several other buildings have also been added in recent years which you may read about in the Take a Tour section of our web site.
Chaplin Creek Village serves as the home of the Franklin Grove Area Historical Society, the Chaplin Creek Muzzle Loaders, and the Illinois Atlatl Association.
While the historic site is generally open to the public to drive through… there are no specific hours of operation for access to the many buildings you see on dsplay here. If you would care to schedule a tour or inquire about other special events including use of the facility for weddings, family reunions and picnics… please write to us at [email protected].