Forsythe (taken from 1954 news article)

Situated just north of Decatur, on US 51 and the Illinois Central Railroad, the village of Forsythe is one of two communities in Hickory Point Township, the other being Bearsdale. The population of the township today is 3,178. The village of Forsythe, which was laid out in 1864 by Edward O. Smith, derived its name from Colonel Robert Forsythe, a landowner of the region and first general freight agent of the Illinois Central Railroad.

Among early settlers of Hickory Point Township (at first called Bull Point Township) were John and James Hanks, cousins of Abraham Lincoln. The first settler was David Florey, who arrived in 1825 and built a log cabin in the woods on the west branch of Stevens Creek. Later arrivals in the township were numerous members of the Church of God, and this denomination established the first church there in 1852.

In addition to serving as Forsythe's first postmaster, N.J. Fitch built one of the first houses in the village, became a dealer in grain, and conducted a general store. The first railroad agent at Forsythe was Charles Ruehl, and he also, was a grain dealer, as well as builder of Forsythe's first elevator.

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