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Harvard, Illinois

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1932 and the latest in 1981. It stands in Chemung Township. It lies in ZIP code area 60033. The Survey maps it on the Harvard quadrangle. 9,469 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 922 feet above sea level.

Harvard within McHenry County

Population over time

2 figures

Harvard grew from 9,447 to 9,469 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20109,447
20209,469+22 (+0%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

37,091 words on this township

History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885 names this settlement in its chapter on Chemung Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

The first settlements were made in this township in 1836. Among the first settlers we find the names of George Trumbull, M. Wheeler, Wesley Diggins, Alonzo Riley, and William Hart. It is claimed by some that the first parties who resided in the township were two brothers, by the name of David and Ransley Shaw, who came from Indiana, and after partially erecting a saw-mill, sold out to a Mr. Lewis, and they moved away. David Smith came from New York State and made Chemung Township his home till about ten years ago, when be moved to Iowa. The date of Wesley Diggins's arrival was 1838. He located where Harvard now stands. He moved to California about twenty-five years ago, and there died about the year 1879. T. B. Wakeman came in 1838. He was a lawyer, and died in Chicago about six years ago. Daniel and A.dolphus Hutchinson were among the first settlers. Adolphus died at his home in the township some twenty years ago, and Daniel is still a resident of the township.

Passage source: History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885.

The village received its name from Mr. Lawrence Bixby, its first merchant, who in company with a Mr. Conkling, did a big business for a time when three other stores were started which materially divided the trade. The first house in the place was built by Lawrence Bixby and Benjamin Pressy. During the excitement over the prospects of Lawrence becoming a railroad town business increased rapidly and carpenters had more than they could do in erecting private and business houses, but when Harvard was chosen by the railroad company as a place where they would establish their shops, a lull came to Lawrence - business was almost entirely suspended. Many buildings were pulled down and taken to Harvard. The hotel went with the rest, and there has never since been one in the place. During the dsfys of prosperity and high anticipation a fine grist-mill was built and did a good business for about three years when it was burned down and never rebuilt.

Passage source: History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885.

This band of worshipers has never been great in numbers, though perhaps mighty in faith. Up till within the past four years they have supported a minister, but since then have been supplied by the preacher at Harvard giving them a part of his time. Rev. Clark, of that place, is now in charge of this church. Their first minister was Rev. Waldo, who preached to this people about two years.

Passage source: History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Chemung Township - it names this place 98 more 98 times.

Fires near this place

5 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Harvard in 2015, burning about 21 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning5

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 April 2015Debris and open burning2.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources15-289
4 April 2015Debris and open burning4.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources15-282
28 April 2015Debris and open burning10 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources15-382
26 April 2015Debris and open burning1.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources15-245
31 March 2015Debris and open burning4.0 acresIllinois Division of Forestry Resources15-265

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in McHenry County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Harvard: 2 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Anderson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Cole PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Harvard Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Steward Wells PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in McHenry County

Storms near this place

33 since 1996

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Harvard in 33 storm reports between 1996 and 2026: 19 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 2 flood, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2011Thunderstorm WindHarvard$20,000Numerous 12-inch diameter trees and power lines were blown down. Some trees were snapped. One tree fall onto a house.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindHarvard$1,000A tree was blown down onto power lines in Harvard.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindHarvard-Power lines were downed in the 600 block of Dewey St in Harvard.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A tree branch fell on a house in the 600 block of Grant St in Harvard.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindHarvard-Downed power lines and tree branches were reported around Harvard.
May 2024FloodHarvard-North Jefferson Street was flooded.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A tree had fallen on a home in Harvard. Wind magnitude and time were estimated based on radar.
March 2022Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A wind gust to 70 mph was measured.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A tree was blown down onto a garage.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A weather station at the Crosby Elementary School measured a wind gust to 68 mph.
August 2021Flash FloodHarvard-A car was stalled in floodwaters on McKinley Street.
September 2019Flash FloodHarvard-Multiple road closures and water over roadways were reported from the Harvard area.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindHarvard-Large branch or portion of tree down onto fence, which destroyed the fence and laying into the neighboring yard. Relayed via Facebook. Time estimated by radar.
March 2011HailHarvard-Nickel size hail was reported near Route 173 and Route 14.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindHarvard-Tree limbs were blown down across parts of north central McHenry County, including Harvard, Woodstock and McHenry.
September 2002FloodHarvard-In 35 minutes, 2.4 inches of rain fell in Harvard producing some street flooding.
September 2001LightningHarvard-Lightning struck a radio tower knocking out a transmitter which had to be replaced.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindHarvard-A line of severe thunderstorms extended from north central Illinois, north, into southern Wisconsin. As the storms moved east and through northern Illinois, they produced wind damage, including trees blown down.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
April 2026Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
September 2021HailHarvard-no account filed
July 2015Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
August 2013HailHarvard-no account filed
October 2013HailHarvard-no account filed
March 2011HailHarvard-no account filed
March 2011HailHarvard-no account filed
June 2008HailHarvard-no account filed
July 2003Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
October 2001HailHarvard-no account filed
May 1999HailHarvard-no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed
April 1996Thunderstorm WindHarvard-no account filed

Every storm recorded in McHenry County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Lawrence2.0 miles16
Chemung2.9 miles16
Big Foot Prairie5.1 miles15
Alden5.7 miles15
Hartland6.9 miles15
Hebron10.2 miles17
Armsby (historical)11.3 miles17
Franklinville11.4 miles15

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on HarvardAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q575682The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 409898. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.