6 Towns In Illinois With The Most Undeniably Creepy Names
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published April 20, 2018
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
It is always interesting to find out how a town got its name, and you’ll especially be curious when it comes to these six creepy town names in Illinois. If creepy-crawlies and innards gross you out, then these unfortunate monikers will give you the heebie-jeebies.
The Prairie State really is full of intrigue. Think you can guess which towns will be in this list? Scroll on to see if you are correct.
Whether it's a medical condition or a wound, a bone gap doesn't sound like a good thing. This tiny village in the south section of the state is home to about 250 residents and was incorporated in 1982. Back then, it was called "Old Bone Gap," which really isn't any better. Hopefully, there is a hospital nearby.
Though not technically a town, this place with a very strange name is an unincorporated residential community near the Rock River about 34 miles southwest of Rockford on the north side of the state. It has a population of about 700 people and is most recognized for a popular golf course that bears this most mysterious of creepy town names. Is this a lost nation that was found or is something begging to be discovered? We may never know.
Another unincorporated community, this southern Illinois township is located along the Evansville Western Railway. One of the creepiest things about it is that it doesn't participate in census counts, so there is no data on its population, though we can assume it's small. We can also assume that it might have had a pest problem at one time or another.
This town name might make you think of kidnappings, but it's all innocent here. This is a village of about 400 residents that sits near the Illinois River. It was founded in 1885, and a 68-foot water tower (pictured) was built in 1896. This is one of the only creepy town names we actually have a history for. It was actually named for General Thomas E. G. Ransom, who spent his youth in Illinois before serving in the American Civil War.
Situated southeast of St. Louis in the southern portion of Illinois, you may not even consider this a real town. There is no population data, but the few residents who obviously live there have to go to neighboring towns before they'll find much to do. Just like our other creepy-crawlie town, there may have been a bug problem here at some time, and it looks like they may have taken over and named the place after themselves.
This unincorporated community sits along the Kaskaskia River in Central Illinois south of Champaign. There is no census data on the place, but a town with a name like this isn't bound to be popular. As it's surrounded by fields, you likely didn't even know this place existed. In a way, the name is like another word for a chicken feather, but chicken bristle sounds more menacing.
