BlockMaroa, Illinois
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1957 and the latest in 1998. It stands in Maroa Township. It lies in ZIP code area 61756. The Survey maps it on the Maroa quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1957 USGS Maroa quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1961 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Maroa quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Champaign quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1990 USGS Peoria quadrangle1:250000
- 1998 USGS Maroa quadrangle1:24000
In the county-history sources
8,505 words on this townshipHistory of Macon County, Illinois : with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1880 names this settlement in its chapter on Maroa Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.
The first building, after the depot was erected, was by G. J. Schenck, in the fall of 1855, and is still standing. It was a dwelling-house, but for some time, a part of it was used as a store, where a small variety of general goods were retailed. The second dwelling-house was erected in the fall of 1856, by Mr. Schenck, for Samuel Barndt, who built the first blacksmith shop in the following spring. In the fall of 1857, M. Friedman built a dwelling and a store-house. This was the first regular store in Maroa, and Mr, Friedman has continued in business ever since, and is the oldest merchant in the place. The Prairie Hotel, built in 1858, was the first public house erected, though prior, and even since then, Mr. Schenck's residence was always a welcome place for the weary traveler. During the year 1858, a small school-house was built on the site of the present school-building, and Robert Collins taught the first school. The present fine brick school edifice was erected
Passage source: History of Macon County, Illinois : with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1880.
The Maroa Lodge, No. 454 A. F. and A. M., was chartered Oct. 4, 1865. The first officers were : J. H. Crocker, W. M. ; Rufus C. Crocker, S. W. ; Oliver J. Harlan, J. W. ; Samuel Lowe, Treas. ; T. S. Collins, Sec. ; A. C. Keever, S. D. ; Jacob Cooper, J. D. ; J. F. Blount and A. D. Wysong, Stewards; Mayer Friedman, Tyler. These, together with J. H. Axton, C. F. Emery, Joseph Lingle, W. L. Webb, G. W. Conover, H. S. Tisdale and G. A. Milmine, constitute the charter members. The present officers are ; W. M. Phares, W. M. ; J. Longstreet, S. W. ; J. A. Hartman, J. W. ; M. Friedman, Treas. ; W. H. Austin, Sec. ; F. M. Smith, S. D. ; E. Friedman, J. D. ; S. C. Crowell and E. J. Carter, Stewards ; H. S. Bennett, Tyler.
Passage source: History of Macon County, Illinois : with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1880.
The Maroa I. 0. O. F. Lodge No. 34 was organized and first installation of officers held on the night of May 3, 1865. The following were the first officers: Thomas Hunter, N. G. ; M. Friedman, V. G- ; O. G. Harlan, Sec. ; James Huff, P. Sec. ; Jonah Lingle, Treas.
Passage source: History of Macon County, Illinois : with Illustrations Descriptive of Its Scenery, and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, published 1880.
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 Maroa Township - it names this place 18 more 18 times.
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Maroa: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nixon Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
18 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Maroa in 18 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 6 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | $1,000,000 | Extensive wind damage occurred across Maroa. The roof of a township building on South Wood Street was blown off and approximately 100 trees were blown down across town. A camper was blown over and crops near town were flattened. In addition, a solar farm on the south side of Maroa was destroyed. |
| December 2018 | Tornado (EF1) | Maroa | $150,000 | A tornado touched down a half mile east of IL Highway 51 along East School Road about 2.2 miles south of Maroa at 6:31 PM CST. The tornado destroyed a large outbuilding and snapped off many trees in that area, then moved to the northeast, causing periodic tree damage and some home roofing damage before dissipating as it reached the intersection of East Duroc Road and Sawyer Road 1.4 miles southeast of Maroa at 6:33 PM CST. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | $40,000 | Power poles were blown down. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | $10,000 | Barn roofing was blown off. |
| January 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Maroa | - | A tornado briefly touched down 3 miles southwest of Maroa along Bearsdale Road just north of School Road at 4:33 PM CST. A power pole and irrigation unit were damaged. |
| January 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Maroa | - | A tornado touched down just west of the intersection of US-51 and Washington Street west of Maroa at 4:35 PM CST. The tornado destroyed a barn and tossed the remains of a grain bin across the highway. A fence was also destroyed just east of US-51 near the end of North Sycamore Street. The tornado dissipated just southwest of the Fourwinds RV dealership about 1 mile north-northwest of Maroa at 4:38 PM CST. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | - | A barn door was blown off and an old evergreen tree was uprooted. A neighboring residence had a large tree blown down as well. |
| March 2007 | Flash Flood | Maroa | - | A slow moving thunderstorm with very heavy rainfall produced flash flooding over portions of northeast Macon county. Flowing water closed several roads for a couple hours. |
| March 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Maroa | - | A tornado developed 9 miles southwest of Maroa. The tornado continued into De Witt county. |
| March 2006 | Tornado (F1) | Maroa | - | Continuation of Logan county tornado. The total tornado path length was 10.0 miles. The tornado blew down numerous trees and damaged several barns and outbuildings. No injuries or fatalities were reported. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | - | A tree was blown down on a house causing minor damage. Also, several power lines were blown down. |
| June 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Maroa | - | A tornado briefly touched down in a field 3.5 miles south of Maroa. No injuries or damage were reported. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maroa | - | As a severe thunderstorm moved across northern portions of Macon County, thousands of acres of corn were destroyed. Also, several power lines were blown down in Argenta. Dollar amounts estimates of crop damage was around $2.2 million. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Maroa | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Maroa | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Maroa | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Maroa | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Maroa | - | no account filed |
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.
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 413025. 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.
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.