Friday, September 16, 2022

Lost Towns of Illinois - Tacaogane, Illinois.

Tacaogane was a former settlement in Massac County, Illinois.


It was shown on the 1684 map of Louisiana by Jean-Baptiste-Louis Franquelin, who placed the settlement near the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers, though the exact location of the settlement is undocumented.

"Tacaogane" may be a corruption of an Algonqian or Iroquoian word referring to speakers of another language, though it isn't clear which group this may refer to. Despite its apparent proximity to Kincaid Mounds, it is unlikely that Tacaogane refers to a surviving Mississippian settlement from the late 17th century.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

Lost Towns of Illinois - Sylvan, Illinois.

Sylvan was a former settlement in Cass County, Illinois, located two and one-half miles west-southwest of Newmansville. 


A few old farmhouses still stand. The town was populated during the mid-19th century mostly by Irish immigrants. There is one cemetery there.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.