Smithshire, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Smithshire, Illinois
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 Smithshire, Illinois
Location in Illinois
Smithshire, Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Warren |
| Elevation | 735 ft (224 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
61478
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| Area code(s) | 309 |
| GNIS feature ID | 418654 |
Smithshire is a small, unincorporated village in Warren County, Illinois, United States. This means it is a community that does not have its own local government. Smithshire is located near the BNSF Railway line. It is about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Fort Madison, Iowa. It is also about 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Galesburg. Around 100 people live in Smithshire. The village has a post office that serves ZIP code 61478. You can also find a restaurant, a church, a grain storage complex, and a fire station here.
The Story of Smithshire
Smithshire began when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line was built through the area in 1888. It is the only community in Ellison Township. An older town called Ellison used to be two miles (3 km) from Smithshire. Ellison started in the 1830s. However, a very strong tornado hit Ellison in 1858, which slowed its growth. When the railroad came to Smithshire, the people who still lived in Ellison moved to Smithshire.
Smithshire was once home to the main offices of Twomey Company Twomey Company. This was a family-owned business that worked with farm products. It started in 1945. Another company, Consolidated Grain and Barge, bought Twomey Company in 2012. At the time it was sold, Twomey Company could store a huge amount of grain, about 51 million bushels. Twomey Company had operations in several places in western Illinois. This included a special facility on the Mississippi River where grain could be loaded onto barges.
Smithshire has one church, the Smithshire United Methodist Church United Methodist Church. Children in Smithshire attend schools in the West Central High School district, which is district 235.
Travel and Trains
The Amtrak Southwest Chief train passes through Smithshire. This train travels between Los Angeles and Chicago on BNSF tracks. However, the train does not stop in Smithshire. If you want to catch a train, the nearest station is in Galesburg. Galesburg is about 31 miles (50 km) northeast of Smithshire.
