The city of Amboy sprang forth from humble roots. In the mid-1800s, the land that now falls within city limits primarily was farmland, dotted with a few shanties and farmhouses, built by settlers who began arriving in 1837.
All that changed in 1852, when the Illinois Central Railroad bought the farms owned by Cyrus Davis, Joseph Appleton and Joseph Farwell, with plans to make Amboy its manufacturing and repair shop hub.
A survey was done on March 23, 1854, to establish the original portion of town, and bonds for lot deeds were executed that July.
The first city lot, on the northeast corner of Main Street and South East Avenue, was bought by John L. Skinner for $600. He built a hotel on the lot, and within a year, there were 100 homes and 1,000 people in Amboy.
As the Illinois Central Railroad made progress on its buildings, people came to Amboy and settled there. To accommodate them, Amboy’s original plat was expanded repeatedly until the city limits encompassed nearly 1,000 acres of land.
By July 1856, a 2-year-old Amboy had nearly 2,000 inhabitants, 500 houses, two churches (also used as schoolhouses), a printing office, 16 stores, several groceries, a planning mill, three hotels, two livery stables and other shops, including a carpenter, cabinet, blacksmith, tin, mattress, paint and harness shop. Common storerooms were rented at $150 to $200 a year, homes from $10 to $20 a month.
A town without a name
The town continued to grow and prosper, but did not have a name, so residents called a meeting to rectify that situation, and many suggestions were made, including Hornsby, Bolton, Painted Post and Elmira. Finally, the name Bath was chosen.
Lorenzo D. Wasson was sent to Dixon with the necessary papers to have the town so incorporated, but when the papers were returned, to everyone’s astonishment, it had been incorporated as Amboy. The cause of the change never has been determined.
Some thought the name Amboy came from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, which was named for the Earl of Perth, while others attribute it to the Indian word “em-bo-li,” which means “between the hills.”
It may not have been the city’s chosen name, but it stuck, and the city was incorporated as Amboy by popular vote on March 2, 1857. Later that year, Col. John B. Wyman was elected its first mayor.
HISTORY cont’d to page 5
Main Street in Amboy, looking west, circa 1920
HISTORY cont’d from page 4
Mormons at Palestine Grove
Among the early settlers in the Amboy region were Benjamin and Elizabeth Wasson, who built a cabin along the Green River in 1837, and later a house in what was then known as Palestine Grove, just outside of present-day Amboy. Elizabeth’s sister was Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When the Smiths and other members of the Mormon Church fled religious prosecution in Fayette, New York, they moved to Illinois and settled in Commerce, a village that would later change its name to Nauvoo. Because Nauvoo and Amboy weren’t far apart, the Smiths would travel to Amboy to visit the Wassons and helped establish Mormonism within the community, making Amboy one of the first settlements of the Mormon Church. Just outside of Amboy on Mormon Road, the Mormon Church established the Mormon Cemetery. One of Brigham Young’s wives is buried there.
After Joseph Smith died and the church was moved to Plano, members of the Mormon Church began attending some of the other churches in Amboy. By 1854, there were nine churches in Amboy.
A city at war
In 1942, Amboy was selected as the site for the Green River Ordnance Plant, one of four munitions assembly facilities built in Illinois during World War II.
The Stewart-Warner Corp. operated the 8,342-acre facility for the Army Ordnance Corp., which had seven munitions lines that made ammunition ranging from rifle grenades to armor-piercing shells to bombs. The bazooka rocket was developed and produced there.
By Dec. 15, 1942, Green River employed 4,419 people on 3 shifts, 6 days a week — more than half of which were women, who were entering the workforce in significant numbers for the first time.
Worker turnover was constant, especially on the loading lines where explosive powder in the air caused skin infections and inhaling the powder caused respiratory problems.
Despite the constant need for new workers, Green River was awarded an Army-Navy “E” flag for efficiency in production and won two more stars by the end of the war. Only 5 percent of the nation’s war production plants received this award.
By the time the plant ceased production on Aug. 20, 1945, Green River had produced 25 million rifle grenades, 10 million 75-mm projectiles and 10,921 1,600-pound bombs.
Starting life in the heart of American’s farmland, and staying rooted in the ideals that helped it grow and prosper, Amboy is just like the train engine of storybook fame: It’s the little city that could. n
Main Street in Amboy, looking east, circa 1912
When Amboy rolls out the welcome mat each August, it gets a heck of a lot of foot traffic.
That’s because thousands of people meet in streets downtown to enjoy four days of family fun during Amboy Depot Days, an annual celebration of all things Amboy and all things fun in this city of 2,500 people.
People find plenty to enjoy during Depot Days: carnival rides and cars, crafts and camaraderie, food and fun, bargains and beer, and more.
Some who come are bargain hunters with cash in hand and their sights set on bagging a good deal at a garage sale, some enjoy the pageantry, while others stop by to see hot rods and cool cars — but regardless of their reason for going, they all come for one thing: a good time, and Depot Days delivers.
The event features food stands, a beer garden, car show, 5K run/walk, carnival, music and entertainment, the Miss Amboy and Little Miss Amboy pageants, a pancake breakfast, craft and vendor booths, city-wide garage sales, and more.
for the show.
Then, of course, there’s that tempting tumbler full of tickets — thousands and thousands of them, each one with the potential to turn a dollar into a windfall in the Depot Days 50/50 Drawing. The centerpiece of the city-wide celebration is a drawing that draws thousands of people from near and far and sends one home with a big check and a big smile. In recent years, the grand prize jackpot has boasted a six-figure sum for some lucky winner.
Go to depotdays.com, depotdayscarshow.com, or find “Amboy Depot Days 50/50 Drawing” or “Amboy Depot Days” on Facebook
The winner of 2025’s jackpot was David Shipman of Dixon, who went home with $121,701. That’s up from 2024’s jackpot of $117,985.50, won by Bill Karper of Oregon. That’s a pretty good return on investment, with tickets going for a buck a piece or six for $5.
The car show is one of the largest in Illinois and often attracts more than 450 vehicles downtown in more than 35 classes, including restored classics, muscle cars, street rods, modified vehicles and unique/special interest vehicles. Participants also compete for “Best Of” honors in several categories. Tractors also rumble into town
In addition, four others took home prizes of $2,500 each: Kristen Kline of Peru, Andy Suarez of Peru, Jan Bonnell of Amboy, and Laurie VonHolten and Rock Falls.
Depot Days raffle proceeds benefit a wide array of community organizations, including the historic Amboy Depot Museum, local food pantries, Teen Turf, soccer program, school library and Girl Scouts, to name a few. n
Amboy Conference plaque
9 S. East Ave.
Amboy was one of the first Mormon Church settlements. The Amboy Conference was the settling of the official “reorganization” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints into the Latter Day Saint denomination now known as the Community of Christ. The conference was held April 6, 1860.
Amboy Depot Museum
East Main Street and South East Avenue
Contact: 815-857-4700
Online: amboydepotmuseum.org and on Facebook
This Illinois Central Railroad
depot, built in 1876, has been completely renovated and now is a 19-room museum reflecting the history of the Amboy area. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Other attractions adjoining the museum include a steam locomotive, a one-room schoolhouse, the Illinois Central Freight House, and a 1920s era Norfolk & Western caboose all open to tour; free admission, donations welcomed; open April through October from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Museum doors close 30 minutes before closing time.
ATTRACTIONS cont’d to page 9
Carson Pirie Scott store plaque
55 S. East Ave.
Samuel Carson and John Pirie opened Carson Pirie & Company, a dry goods store in Amboy, on the site of what is today the Long Branch Saloon, 55 S. East Ave., in 1855. They left for Chicago after about 10 years, added business partner Robert Scott’s name to the firm in 1891, and Carson Pirie Scott would become one of northern Illinois’ leading retail chain stores. Business acquisitions came and went — including a 1989 sale to Bergner’s, which was bought by The Bon-Ton Stores a few years later — but the Carson name remained until 2018 when Bon-Ton announced it would close all of its
stores, including Carson’s. Carson’s was the oldest chain under the BonTon umbrella, which also included the Bon-Ton parent stores, Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, and Younker’s. The Pirie and Scott names were dropped from the Carson’s banner upon Bergner’s sale to Bon-Ton. A plaque commemorates the site of the first store.
Temperance Hill Cemetery and Prairie Preserve
North of Amboy off U.S. Route 52, west of the Route 52 and Inlet Road junction
This cemetery, started in 1846, is situated on a fragment of virgin prairie and is an Illinois Nature Preserve. Three crosses at the end of the cemetery drive mark the site. n
Holly Wittenauer, Manager
East Grove Union Church – 449
Reuter Road; 815-376-6661; online: Find it on Facebook
First Baptist Church
– 24 N. Mason Ave.; 815-857-2682; online: fbcamboy. org or find “First Baptist Church of Amboy” on Facebook Grace Fellowship Church
– 500 W. Main St., Sublette (formerly located in Amboy); 815-910-0195; online: graceisforyou.com or find “Grace Fellowship Church Sublette” on Facebook
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church – 960 U.S. Route 52; 815-857-2225; online: find “Immanuel Lutheran Church” on Facebook St. Patrick Catholic Church – 32 N. Jones Ave.; 815-857-2315; online: stpatrickamboy.org or find “Saints Patrick, Mary, and Flannen” on Facebook.
United First Church of Amboy – 326 E. Main St.; 815-440-0745; online: find it on Facebook
WOODHAVEN LAKES
Amboy Education Foundation
— 815-973-5732 or 815-857-2856; Online: https://sites.google.com/a/amboy.net/ amboy-education-foundation/ or find it on Facebook
Amboy Lions Club — 280 W. Wasson Road; meets monthly on the second and fourth Mondays at 7 p.m.; 815-677-5288; Online: Find Amboy Illinois Lions Club on Facebook
American Legion & Auxiliary
Poths-Lavelle, Post 453 — P.O. Box 112; meets the third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.; 815-499-5903 or lmgibbs64@ gmail.com
Depot Museum Commission — 815-857-4700 or 815-857-3814; Online: amboydepotmuseum.org or find Amboy Depot Museum on Facebook Future Farmers of America — 11
E. Hawley St.; 815-857-3632; Online: ffa.org or find Amboy FFA Chapter on Facebook
Girl Scouts 1-844-476-4463 or customercare@girlscoutsni. org; Online: girlscoutsni.org/ or find Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois on Facebook
Green River Saddle Club — 1580 Morman Road; 815-440-5749 or Greenriversaddleclubamboy@gmail. com; Online: Find it on Facebook
Lee County Master Gardeners — Lee County Extension Office, 280 W. Wasson Road; 815-857-3525 or uiemg-lee@illinois.edu; Online: https://extension.illinois.edu/clw/ master-gardeners
Illinois Central Masonic Lodge — Friendship Lodge No. 7; 1409 N. Galena, Dixon; meets second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.; https://ilmason.org/
Knights of Columbus Council 8277 — St. Patrick Catholic Church, 32 N. Jones Ave.; 815-8572315; Online: Find Amboy Knights of Columbus on Facebook
Lee County 4-H — Lee County Extension Office, 280 W. Wasson Road; 815-857-3525; Online: extension.illinois.edu/clw/4-h-lee-county or find Lee County 4-H on Facebook
St. Patrick’s Women’s Organization, St. Patrick Catholic Church — 32 N. Jones Ave., 815-857-2315; Online: stpatrickamboy.org/womens-organization
Teen Turf Inc. — 235 W. Main St.; 815-857-4800; Online: Find “Teen Turf” on Facebook
Amboy Family Restaurant & Pizza Junction – 211 E. Main St.; 815-857-3985; online: find “Amboy Family Restaurant & Pizza” on Facebook
Casey’s General Store (carryout pizza) – 308 E. Main St.; 815-358-3992
Depot Tap – 49 S. East Ave.; 815857-3555; online: Find “The Depot Tap” on Facebook
Long Branch Saloon – 55 S. East Ave.; 815857-3486; find “Longbranch Saloon” on Facebook
Maria’s Pizza – 110 E. Main St.; 815857-2200; online: mariaspizzainamboy.
com or find “Maria’s Pizza Amboy” on Facebook
Meusel’s Dairy Delite – 303 S. Mason Ave.; 815-857-2050; online: meuselsdairydelite.com or find “Meusel’s Dairy Delite” on Facebook
Revolution Wellness (health food restaurant) – 205 E. Main St.; 815-8577021; online: Find it on Facebook
Sunset Inn Restaurant – 1578 U.S. Route 30; 815-857-3482; online: find “Sunset Inn Restaurant” on Facebook
Uncle B’s Bar and Grill 310 E. Joe Drive, 815-857-7097; online: Find “Uncle B’s Bar and Grill” on Facebook n
OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon has been serving the community since 1897. Formerly known as Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital (KSB Hospital), the medical center was founded with a generous gift from Judge Solomon Bethea in honor of his late wife, Katherine. In 2025, OSF Saint Katharine became part of the OSF HealthCare Ministry, a 17-hospital Catholic health network serving Illinois and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Over the years, what began as KSB has evolved into an 80-bed acute care facility serving the Sauk Valley and offering a wide range of services, including emergency medicine, obstetrics, inpatient psychiatry, cardiovascular care, outpatient surgery, intensive care, and more. The healthcare system also includes eight clinics offering primary and specialty care services.
In addition to the hospital, OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center has developed a regional network of primary care clinics and a multi-specialty physician group. Each year, it invests in advanced technology, modern facilities, and its employees to ensure its continues to meet the ever-changing healthcare needs of the people we serve.
OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, formerly Mendota Community Hospital, opened its doors in June 1951.
The 25-bed critical access hospital has a 24/7, physician-staffed emergency room and an intensive care unit, as well a other services, including: cardiopulmonary care, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, podiatry, pulmonology, rheumatology, and surgery.
HEALTH CARE cont’d to page 17
Specialty Magazines
These magazines are totally free and will be sent to you in the mail.
To request your FREE copy, simply call 815-632-2566 or email your requests and address to: knull@shawmedia com
OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center
403 E. First St., Dixon 815-288-5531
osfsaintkatharine. org and facebook.com/ OSFSaintKatharine
OSF Saint Katharine Center for Health
305 E. Joe Drive, Amboy 815-857-3044
OSF Saint Paul Medical Center
1401 E. 12th St. (U.S. Route 34), Mendota 815-539-7461
osfhealthcare.org/saint-paul and facebook.com/OSFSaintPaul/
A community health services department provides occupational health services, drug testing, and a variety of public programming and screenings throughout the year to promote public awareness and offer early detection or warning for certain diseases. It also offers home health services, magnetic resonance imaging, a CT scanner, and it has its own rehabilitation services department.
OSF HealthCare is an integrated health system founded by The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis.
Headquartered in Peoria, OSF HealthCare employs almost 26,000 Mission Partners in 171 locations, including 17 hospitals, with 2,305 licensed beds, 200 OSF Medical Group primary care and specialty care clinics, 41 urgent care locations, and two colleges of nursing throughout Illinois and Michigan.
The OSF HealthCare physician network employs more than 2,215 primary care, specialist and advanced practice providers. n — SOURCE: osfhealthcare.org/
Amboy City Park – East Main Street, five blocks east of U.S. Route 52; picnic areas, shelters, charcoal grills, playground equipment, lighted ball diamonds, tennis courts, bathrooms, water and electricity, plus 30 sculptured trees; closed Nov. 1 through April 1.
Amboy Sports Park – corner of Appleton Avenue and Ma in Street; soccer, football and baseball fields, playground, concession stand and bathrooms.
Clinton C. Conway Historical
Park – Main Street, two blocks west of U.S. Route 52; site of the Amboy Depot Museum, railroad engine and picnic shelter.
Amboy Marsh Nature Reserve Trails – 1701 Mormon Road, 217-5442473; hike or bike trails through the 302-acre wetland with black oak sand savannas, sedge meadows and dry sand prairie.
Green
River State
2,565-acre area includes prairie restorations, timberlands and a camping area.
Shady Oaks Golf Course — 577 U.S. Route 52, Sublette, 815-849-5424; shadyoakscc.com/ — A fun, 18-hole course with tricky greens and a short course, clubhouse with cocktail bar, food and pro shop.
MORE INFO
Call 815-857-3814 or go to https://cityofamboy.
com/parks/ for more information on Amboy parks
Wildlife Area – 375 Game Road, Harmon, 15 miles southwest of Amboy; this wildlife restoration area is popular with hunters, hikers and birders. The
Sen. David C. Shapiro Park – U.S. Route 52, next to the Green River; picnic shelter and tables, bathrooms, and fishing.
Veterans
Park – Corner of East Avenue and Division Street; the Amboy Women’s Club dedicated the park in fall 1919 to the veterans of World War I. n
In 1875, a library association was formed to create a new library. It was housed in various locations until 1910, when the Amboy Women’s Club rented rooms on the second floor of the Green Building for use as a public library.
Within a year, though, the library outgrew its space, so it moved again to the Vaughan Building over Whonke’s Drug Store. To maintain the library, an annual fee of $1 was charged to each adult and 25 cents to each child patron.
By 1922, the library had 2,800 volumes.
In 1928, James W. Pankhurst, a prominent farmer in the area, donated money for the city’s first new library, to serve as a lasting memorial to himself, and W.F. Remsburg was hired to build it. Pankhurst Memorial Library was dedicated May 27, 1929, with the Women’s Club presenting all of the books from the old library to the new one.
MORE INFO
Pankhurt Memorial Library
3 S. Jefferson Ave.
Today, about a third of Amboy residents have a library card, and the library has more than 23,500 volumes. Its mission, according to its website, is “to select, acquire, organize and preserve books and other materials of contemporary interest and permanent value for the education, enjoyment and intellectual stimulation of the entire community. The Library also strives to guide young people toward a love of reading and an awareness of books and other library materials as a means of satisfying their needs and interests.”
The first borrower’s card went to Pankhurst when the library opened July 6, 1929. That day, 93 people registered for cards and 115 books were checked out.
By the end of the library’s first fiscal year on May 9, 1930, the library had 508 registered borrowers and a collection of 2,756 volumes, including 2,061 adult books, 695 children’s books and nine newspapers and magazines.
Library cards are free for people who live within the city limits and are good for 3 years. For those outside the city limits, cards are $50 for 1 year.
The Women’s Club now is the Amboy Civic Organization, but it continues to support the library through fundraising efforts.
The library has a ramp and elevator to make it accessible to the disabled.
Services to patrons include interlibrary loans, online e-book loans, programs and events for all ages, a copier and fax machine, DVD’s, a meeting room, and computer workstations.
Amboy Community Unit
School District No. 272
11 E. Hawley St.
815-857-2164
Online: amboy.net and on Facebook
Amboy CUSD consists of approximately 700 students in three schools in a 205-square-mile district that encompasses Amboy, Sublette, Maytown, Harmon, Eldena and Walton. The Amboy Board of Education meets once a month, generally on the third Thursday of the month, at 7 p.m. in the high school gym. A calendar of dates, which might vary based on holidays and other school activities, is available on the district website, at amboy.net/41319_2.
Amboy High School
11 E. Hawley St. 815-857-3632
Online: ahs.amboy.net/ Principal: Janet Crownhart
Amboy High School was formed in 1949. In September 1969, a new building at Metcalf and Hawley streets opened, replacing the former school building, which now houses Amboy Junior High School. Amboy High School is the home of the Clippers. School activities include Academic Bowl, FFA, Key Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Student Council, yearbook, band, chorus and athletics.
SCHOOLS cont’d to page 22
Amboy Junior High School
240 N. Metcalf Ave.
815-857-3528
Online: ajhs.amboy.net/
Principal: Andrew Full Amboy Junior High serves fifththrough eighth-graders, with courses in English, language arts, math, science, social studies, art and computers. Opportunities are available for advanced math, pre-algebra and algebra. All students can participate in beginning band, band, pep band and jazz band. Sixth- through eighth-graders also can join chorus. Extracurricular opportunities include an art club, computer club, academic team, student council, wrestling, volleyball, basketball and track. The school is the home of the Vikings.
Amboy Central Elementary School
30 E. Provost St. 815-857-3619
Principal: Jessica Meusel
Online: central.amboy.net/ Central School serves kindergarten through fourth-graders, Smart Start and Early Childhood Education students. Classrooms are on the ground floor, with a large playground behind the school. Central is a progressive elementary school that uses research-based methods of instruction to teach the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. Specialists on staff also teach science, music and physical education. The Ogle County Education Cooperative provides special education services in all grades.
EDUCATION
Amboy Community Unit
School District 272
11 E. Hawley St. | 815-857-2164
amboy.net
GOVERNMENT/MUNICIPAL
Amboy City Hall
227 E. Main St. | 815-857-3814
City Maintenance Building
1 Water St. | 815-857-2422
Secretary of State (driver/vehicle services)
925 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon | 815-288-6685
Lee County Animal Control
280 E Progress Drive, Dixon | 815-284-3833 leecountyil.com/158/Animal-Control
Lee County Circuit Clerk
309 S. Galena Ave., Suite 320, Dixon 815-284-5234
leecountyil.com/183/Circuit-Clerk
Lee County Clerk & Recorder
112 E. Second St., Dixon | 815-288-3309 leecountyil.com/204/County-Clerk-Recorder
Lee County Treasurer
112 E. Second St., Dixon | 815-288-4477 leecountyil.com/268/Treasurer
Lee County Chief of Assessments
112 E. Second St., Dixon | 815-288-4483
leecountyil.com/171/ Chief-County-Assessment
HEALTH CARE
OSF Saint Katharine — Center for Health
305 E. Joe Drive, Amboy | 815-857-3044 http://osfhealthcare.org/
OSF Saint Katharine Medical Center
403 E. First St., Dixon | 815-288-5531
OSF Saint Paul Medical Center 1401 E. 12th St. (U.S. Route 34), Mendota 815-539-7461
113 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon | 815-284-2222 saukvalley.com
OTHER
Pankhurst Memorial Library
3 S. Jefferson Ave. | 815-857-3925
amboy.lib.il.us
Post Office
215 E. Division St. | 815-857-2212 tools.usps.com/locations/details/1352932
PUBLIC SAFETY
Amboy Police Department 227 E. Main St. | 815-857-3400
Online: Find “Amboy, Illinois Police Department “ on Facebook Fire & ambulance 25 N. East Ave. | 815-857-2325 amboyfd.com/ Lee County Sheriff 240 E Progress Drive, Dixon | 815-284-5217 leecountyil.com/258/Sheriffs-Office EMERGENCY? CALL 911
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Republic Services (garbage pickup) 1214 S. Bataan Road, Dixon | 815-723-3200 republicservices.com and on Facebook
Amboy Community Building (events venue for rent) 280 W. Wasson Road Contact: 815-558-7058 or cityofamboy@comcast.net Find “Center Amboy Community” on Facebook
UTILITIES
Amboy Water Department 227 E. Main St. | 815-857-3811
ComEd (electricity) 919 W. First St., Dixon | 800-334-7661 comed.com
NICOR Gas
Customer service, or to report leaks, odors or other emergencies: 1-888-Nicor4U (1-800-642-6748) nicorgas.com/ CALL BEFORE YOU DIG: DIAL 811
