Lost Towns of Illinois - Mills Prairie, Illinois.

Mills Prairie was a former settlement in Edwards County, Illinois, located 2 miles southeast of West Salem.

Mills Prairie was in the eastern part of Edwards County, Buck Prairie in the southeastern section, and Long Prairie in the western region. All were fertile areas and a center of considerable wealth.

Adam Hedrick, with his wife and five children, David, Joseph, Catharine, Matthias, and Elizabeth, his sister and stepdaughter, arrived in Illinois in 1829 and settled in, then called Mills Prairie. He was a prominent and valuable citizen, being a master of most of the mechanic trades. He held the office of township treasurer and was postmaster at the Mills Prairie post office.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.