Only One Town in America Has This Bizarre Illinois Name

I am a big fan of originals. That's why I appreciate a town in Illinois that has a name that's so bizarre that there's no other town in America with that same name anywhere. Oh, and it used to have an even stranger name during its early days.

Does this mural in a tiny Illinois town look familiar?

Look close and you can see this is in the heart of Oblong, Illinois, the only town in America with that name according to World Atlas. Wikipedia says that Oblong, Illinois was incorporated way back in 1883. By 1890, it had grown to a population of 390, but it's never been a big town. At its peak around 1970, there were nearly 1,900 residents that called Oblong home. Now, the latest census puts the population there barely over 1,300.

Oblong, Illinois isn't without its history. As a matter of fact, oilfields in the Illinois Basin are a part of the Illinois Oil Field Museum and Resource Center which is based there.

What about that stranger early name of Oblong, Illinois?

Henry Peck used to own a general story when Oblong was founded. There are many who frequented that village that called it "Henpeck". I am so sad that name didn't stick. That being said, Oblong, Illinois is the only town in America with that name which makes it a true American and Illinois original. Salute.