National Road Association Of Illinois

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Casey

A classic mid-west community with broad tree-lined streets. It began as an agricultural community but at the turn of the 20^th century, the Eastern Illinois Oil Fields opened and farmers left the fields for the more profitable work. Casey’s Centennial History notes that the community was the world’s largest timothy hay market for a few years before the oil boom. Casey is the only National Road community named for a post office. In the 1830’s, the town of Cumberland was located just one and one-half miles from what is now downtown. Casey had a post office named in honor of US. Senator Zodoc Casey. In the late 1840’s and early 1850’s, people began to move to the crossroads formed by the National Road and what is now IL Route 49. But they still got their mail from Cumberland and "Going to Casey" became a familiar phrase for going to the post office.  When it came time to name the town, Casey just seemed appropriate.  Today Casey is called the "City of lights" due to the old fashioned lampposts lining it’s streets.

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