the river. The first church in the township was completed in 1857. The building was 32 x 50 feet, 16 feet high between the floor and ceiling, lathed, plastered, and originally painted white, with black walnut seats and pulpit. The cost of construction was $2000 of which most was provided by Woodford McDowell. The church was named by Mrs. Sarah McDowell. She was at the time the oldest settler and church member. The church was named the “Pioneer Methodist Episcopal Church.” In 1897, the church was torn down and the material hauled to Fairbury, Illinois, where it was converted into two small residences. The first store in Avoca was kept by Woodford and James McDowell in 1854. The same year Woodford McDowell and his brothers built a steam sawmill, to which was attached one run of stones for grinding corn, but the main business of the mill was sawing lumber. Most of the lumber for the houses of the earlier settlers was obtained at this mill. The mill was moved to Fairbury in 1869. The first bridge in the township was built over the south branch of the Vermillion River in 1844. The village of Avoca was laid out in 1854 by Woodford G. McDowell, who owned the land upon which it was located. The store in the village had been doing business for several months prior to this time. The village was surveyed by Amos Edwards, the County Surveyor. After the village of Fairbury (three miles south) was laid out in 1857, the little hamlet ceased to grow. The Fairbury, Pontiac and Northwestern Railroad was built in 1872 running through Avoca Township but bypassing the village of Avoca. Over the following years many of the houses were torn down and removed to Fairbury. Today there is not a mark standing to note where the village of Avoca once stood. The railroad, later known as the Wabash, no longer runs through the township. In 1908, the township had three small communities each of which laid along the Wabash railroad line – McDowell, Lodemia and Champlin. The village of McDowell had a post office, Western Union telegraph, a train depot, a grain elevator, and a Methodist Episcopal church. Lodemia also had a post office, a Methodist Episcopal church and a railroad shipping station. Champlin had a shipping station. The population of Avoca Township grew quickly when the area was first settled