those age 65 or over. History Founding Gridley was laid out on November 25, 1856 by Thomas Carlyle (c. 1832 - ?) and George Washington Kent (1820–1901). After considering the names Kent, Carlyle, and Gardner, for the governor of Massachusetts, it was decided to name named the town for Bloomington banker, lawyer, and land developer Asahel Gridley (1810–1881). Both Carlisle and Thomas were working for Gridley at the time the town was founded and two years after the town was laid out Gridley purchased all of Gridley. Along with many other towns in central Illinois, the town was established when Peoria and Oquawka Railroad crossed the state from west to east. The railroad soon became the Toledo Peoria and Western. Original design and the "Depot Grounds" At first glance the Original Town of Gridley looks like many towns laid out along new railroads built in central Illinois in the 1850s. In addition to the strip granted to the railroad, there were long narrow rectangles on both the north and south sides of the tracks. In most cases these areas, usually labeled “Depot Grounds,” have evolved into parks or been put to other public uses. At Gridley, half of the northern Depot Ground was dedicated as a long narrow “Public Square.” The remaining “Depot Grounds" would soon cause problems for the town. The remainder of the town was a fairly conventional grid of north-south and east-west streets. There were thirty-three blocks, most containing ten or sixteen lots. The town grew quite rapidly. Gridley then surprised everyone by announcing that he was re-platting the entire town and subdividing the land near the railroad. He argued that although the plat did say “depot grounds” he had never actually dedicated the land to the railroad or to public use. By that time the railroad and private individuals had built on the railroad grounds and the people of Gridley had used them as a location for the town jail. Gridley asked the courts to eject other people from his land. The case known as Gridley v. Hopkins eventually worked its way up to the Illinois Supreme Court, which sustained Gridley but ultimately left the others with their buildings. It became an important legal precedent and left a long legacy of local bitterness toward Gridley. Early development The early growth of Gridley was rapid. On February 28, 1857 the first train arrived in Gridley. A small