Helmar, Illinois

Helmar is an unincorporated community in Kendall County, Illinois. The community is located near Newark and Plattville and is between Illinois State Routes 71 and 47.[2]

Helmar, Illinois
Unincorporated community
Helmar Lutheran Church
Helmar, Illinois
Helmar, Illinois
Coordinates: 41°32′42″N 88°29′02″W
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyKendall
Elevation709 ft (216 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
60541
Area code(s)815
GNIS feature ID410040[1]

History

The community grew around the Lutheran church, then known as the North Prairie Lutheran Church, due to it being northward of Lisbon's church. Due to the church's name, the community as a whole was referred to as North Prairie. In 1894, the residents of North Prairie sought to establish a post office to serve the community. They needed to create a new name for the community, as North Prairie was already in use. They decided to name it Helmar, the anglicized form of Hjalmar, the Scandinavian name of early settler Andrew Anderson.[3]

The post office remained in use until 1912.[4]

Like many of the communities in the surrounding area, Norwegians made up a majority of the population of the community.[5] Even today, these influences are represented within Helmar.[6]

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Helmar, Illinois
  2. "1969 Illinois: Official Highway Map". Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  3. Dickson, Elmer. "History of Helmar, Illinois". Kendall County, Illinois, Genealogy. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  4. "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  5. Strand, A.E. (1905). A history of the Norwegians of Illinois. Chicago: J. Anderson. Retrieved December 31, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  6. "Scandinavian kumla dinner at Helmar Lutheran Church to support food pantry". Shaw Media. January 16, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
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