About Woodhull Illinois

Woodhull (originally named 'Heathland' after the first family settling here in 1851 - including the first Post Office with 25 cent postage in their home, and later Leoti = 'Indian flower,' from 1855-1857) began as an unincorporated village in 1857, it's name becoming 'Woodhull' after a navy captain, Maxwell Woodhull, surveyed and laid out the village on land he owned on September 30, 1857, becoming incorporated in 1870.  In 1868-69, the American Central (later C, B, & Q) Railroad was built through town, connecting New Boston with Galva, and allowing a Woodhull factory with 20 employees to ship more broom corn than any other place in the U.S.A. in 1871-72.   In the early 1880's, Woodhull had a brickyard, Gillette Brick and Tile Company, which employed 30 men.  The first hard road, Route 17, came in 1924 and Interstate Route 74 came in 1967 with over 10,000 cars now using the Interstate daily.  In more modern times in 1948, the schools of the Village of Woodhull consolidated with those of the Village of Alpha, to form the AlWood Schools that are still here to this present day in 2011.  In 1980, the Woodhull Women's Christian Temperance Union decided to disband and dispose of some property near Kewanee, Illinois which they owned; using the money from the sale to build our present Clover Township Library for $300,000.
 
Woodhull’s population as of the 2010 Census is 811. 

Woodhull is 30 miles SE of the Quad Cities, 15 miles north of Galesburg, and 60 miles NE of Peoria on I-74 at exit 32 on Illinois Hwy 17.

Woodhull has 45 businesses including a grocery store, a local telephone & cable company, a lumber yard, 2 banks, 2 truck stops and a gas station. 

AlWood Middle/High School is located in Woodhull.