Braceville

History

Braceville was founded under the name "Sulphur Springs" by Reverend L. S. Robbins in 1834. In 1848, after Robbin's death, the town elected its first official supervisor, B. R. Dowd, who changed the name to Braceville after his home town of Braceville Township, Ohio. When coal was discovered in the region, residents became interested in the mining industry. However, no mines have ever been opened, and gradually, the town shifted its focus on other industries. The population has fluctuated over time, but is now growing at a steady rate.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Braceville has a total area of , of which (or 93.17%) is land and (or 6.83%) is water. For many years, Route 66 (and later Route 129) crossed a railroad line and a creek via a bowstring arch bridge south of Braceville. Route 53 on the south side of the railroad line did not cross anything, so there was only one bridge on the northern highway. The two state highways traveled parallel to each other for several miles. In 1994 however, the arch bridge was closed off, and was removed in 2000.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,573
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,452
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,138
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,865
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  2,365
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,253
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,226
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,110

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 3.6 — 2023-11-15
  1 km SSW of Standard, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois
• M 3.8 — 2010-02-10
  2 km NW of Lily Lake, Illinois