Many states have Springfields, Washingtons, Franklins and Mount Pleasants.
Bardolph, Illinois, however, may be the only municipality in the world with the unique name. That’s because it’s not a surname and it’s not a descriptor. It’s not even a word - someone made it up.
Towns often are named after natural landmarks or their founders. In its earliest days, the area about nine miles northeast of Macomb was named Wolf Grove because wolves were plentiful in the area. In 1854, Macomb businessmen William H. Randolph and Charles V. Chandler laid out a new town in the spot, naming it Randolph. However, they soon learned there already was a town named Randolph in the southern part of the state. A couple of letters were rearranged and a “d” was exchanged for a “b,” and Bardolph was born.
Like other small towns in McDonough County, Bardolph was created because a railroad was coming to the area. In this case, it was the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway. Unlike other new communities that were anxious for growth, the first locomotive arrived in an empty town in 1855.
Only the home of the Rev.
