Sumner, IL

Sumner is a small town located in Livingston County, Illinois. The population was 2,851 at the 2010 census. Sumner is home to the Livingston County Fairgrounds and the Livingston County Historical Museum.

The history of Sumner can be traced back to 1836 when John and Elizabeth (Buchanan) Sumner settled on a tract of land east of present-day Sumner. The town was platted in 1892 and named for Judge J.W. Sumner, who served as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1875 to 1881 and as Secretary of War under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1869 to 1871. The first business in Sumner was a general store operated by A.J. Buchanon and Jno Haines, which opened in September of that year.

Today, Sumner is a thriving community with many businesses and attractions available for residents and visitors alike. The downtown area features several restaurants, a bank, convenience store, post office, hair salon, barbershop/beauty shop, two churches (one Protestant and one Catholic), two schools ( Sumner Elementary School and Livingston Central High School), an ice cream parlor/grocery store/lunchroom called "The Spot", an antique mall called "The Village", three gas stations/convenience stores (two Mobil stations and one Hess station), two hardware stores (one Sears Hardware store and one Ace Hardware store), two auto repair shops (one Midas Auto Repair shop and one A&P Auto Repair shop), four antique dealerships (three Old Country Stores dealerships - one being the original Old Country Store location dating back to 1922; another being the current location at 605 East Main Street; while the third dealership is located at 901 North State Street), four banks (two local banks - First National Bank & Trust Company headquartered at 601 East Main Street; while another local bank - Peoples State Bank headquartered at 901 North State Street - has been in operation since 1923); three pharmacies (CVS Pharmacy located at 601 East Main Street; Walgreens Pharmacy located at 505 North State Street; while Medi-Spa Pharmacy located at 511 West Main Street has been open since 1978); three hotels - Best Western Plus Inn & Suites located at 701 East Main Street; Hampton Inn & Suites located at 503 North State Street; while Quality Inn & Suites located adjacent to the fairgrounds occupies six buildings on South Broadway Avenue); three car dealerships - Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership based out of their corporate headquarters building situated on South Broadway Avenue near I-74 Exit #236A; Ford Motor Company's Lincoln Mercury dealership situated on South Broadway Avenue near I-74 Exit #236A; while Volkswagen of America's new Audi dealership will be opening later this year just north of I-74 Exit #236A on Highway 131). There are also numerous other businesses including restaurants such as Applebee's Grill & Bar chain restaurant with locations throughout Illinois including Bloomington IL just south of Interstate 57 exit #183 off US Route 51 ; Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain with locations throughout Illinois including Normal IL just west of Interstate 74 exit #209 off US Route 66 ; Chili's Grill & Bar chain restaurant with locations throughout Illinois including Carbondale IL southwest corner US Route 67 / IL Route 6 ; Denny's Restaurant chain restaurant with locations throughout Illinois including Decatur IL northeast corner US Route 66 / IL Route 6 ; Domino's Pizza Pizza Hut franchise restaurants both have locations within driving distance from Sumner ; Five Guys Burgers And Fries fast food burger joint with multiple locations throughout central Illinois , most notably Champaign Urbana IL about 25 miles northwest of Sumner ; KFC fast food chicken restaurant chain with multiple locations throughout central Illinois , most notably Bloomington Urbana IL about 25 miles northwest of Sumner . There are also numerous recreational opportunities available such as fishing lakes stocked with largemouth bass , bluegill sunfish , crappie , catfish , perch , walleye trout . Hunting opportunities include deer hunting during firearms season which typically runs October 15th through December 15th statewide however there are specific dates within Livingston County where firearm hunting is allowed such as November 10th through 14th during the early morning hours when deer are moving around more due to cold weather conditions ; coyote hunting during firearms season which typically runs October 1st through November 30th statewide however there are specific dates within Livingston County where coyote hunting is allowed such as October 20th through 22nd during daylight hours when coyotes are more active due to warm weather conditions . Additionally there are several golf courses available for residents' enjoyment such as The Golf Club Of Southern Illinos owned by developer Jerry Patek who resides in nearby Murphysboro ; Deer Creek Golf Course owned by developer Tom Miller who resides in nearby Murphysboro There are also numerous other activities that can be enjoyed such as swimming beaches along Lake Michigan which includes Crystal Beach Recreation Area east side entrance off Highway 131 approximately 2 miles south east from downtown Sumners main street intersection with Highway 131 opposite Crystal Beach RV Resort ); hiking trails accessible from various points around town including White Oak Trail accessed via White Oak Park across highway 131 north west from downtown Sumners main street intersection ); horseback riding trails accessible from various points around town including Horseback Riding Trails accessed via Horseback Riding Park adjacent west side entrance off highway 131 approximately 1 mile north west from downtown Sumners main street intersection ). Additionally SUMNER IS LOCATED JUST NORTH OF ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY AT MURPHYSBORO AND JUST SOUTH OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS WHERE YOU CAN ATTEND THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY FAIR FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH OCTOBER OR VISIT THE LIVINGSTON COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM WHICH HAS A COLLECTION OF OVER 50K ITEMS RELATING TO LIVINGSTON COUNTY'S HISTORY INCLUDING AN OLD TIME PHOTOGRAPHY ROOM WITH OVER 3K PHOTOS ). SUMNER IS ALSO LOCATED NEARBY ARE TWO FAMOUS WILDLIFE REFUGES ONE BEING LAKE ERIE WILDLIFE REFUGE WHICH IS ABOUT 20 MILES NORTH OF SUMNER AND THE OTHER BEING RIVER BEND WILDLIFE REFUGE ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SUMNER