Saybrook is a village in southeast McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 693 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area. Known by locals as the "City of Shade and Water," it is believed to be named in honor of Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Geography Saybrook is located at (40.427490, -88.526536). According to the 2010 census, Saybrook has a total area of , of which (or 96.42%) is land and (or 3.58%) is water. History Founding of Saybrook Saybrook was laid out March 4, 1856 by Isaac M. Polk (c.1814–?). Little is known about Polk as he was born in Indiana and he did not live in McLean County for very long. In 1860 and 1870, he was in neighboring Livingston County. Before Polk, Jonathan Cheney came to the area in 1825 and built a cabin across the river from what is present-day Saybrook. Then, in 1833, Robert Cunningham built a water-driven mill on the Sangamon, which was later replaced by a steam-driven mill. By 1857, the town consisted of a saw mill, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, one store, and eight dwellings. The woodland along the Sangamon, which became known as Cheney’s Grove, attracted early settlers. The township in which the town was situated was named took its name from the woodland and was called Cheney’s Grove. The name Saybrook was adopted in 1865, likely by settlers who came from Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The town of Saybrook was incorporated May 29, 1866. Original Town Plan and Development The original town of Saybrook was one of the smallest in McLean County. It consisted of a simple square of four blocks, each containing eight lots. This original plat was laid out over a series of road and lot lines that were aligned at roughly forty-five degrees to the first official town plat. Several old lines, shown in dashed markings, can be seen on the 1856 plat. The original town had no square or other distinguishing features. Lore says its indistinction was to make the town look as large as possible to railroad promoters, but this seems unlikely as Saybrook (and thus its physical properties) was well known to many of the men associated with the founding of the railroad. In 1866, the Town Council laid out a large addition north and east of town. Bending the Railroad One thing evident to the citizens of