Wayne Village Historic District | |
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| Location | Irregular pattern along Army Trail Rd. Wayne, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Coordinates | 41°57′4″N 88°14′46″W / 41.95111°N 88.24611°W / 41.95111; -88.24611 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78003106 |
| Added to NRHP | December 29, 1978 |
The Wayne Village Historic District is a set of fifty-three buildings in Wayne, Illinois.
The earliest settler to Wayne was Solomon Dunham, who arrived in 1835. In 1850, the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad connected to the village, and Dunham realized the opportunity to develop the region. He built an inn and a store by the station. Solomon's son Mark Dunham later collaborated with several other area farmers to construct a complex of stables and open the Fletcher Norman Horse Company. The stables gained a great reputation for breeding Percheron horses. The first church in Wayne was erected in 1871, and by the mid-1870s, several small businesses had opened.
By the 1920s, demand for horses had dropped dramatically with the advent of the automobile. The Fletcher Norman Horse Company closed in 1929, ceasing almost all future growth of the suburb. Following incorporation in 1958, Wayne experienced a period of growth, but the older buildings in the village were mostly maintained. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 1978.
The registration form for the Wayne Village Historic District indicates that of the fifty-three buildings in the district, thirty-four contribute to its historical identity. The form, however, lists only fifty-two properties.
