Lafayette in Knox County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Fraker's Grove

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 23, 2020

1. Fraker's Grove Marker

Inscription. In this area stood a Potawatomi village when Michael Fraker arrived from Kentucky about 1830. With kindness and understanding he negotiated a peaceful settlement with the Indians and became the first permanent settler in northeastern Knox County. His grave is about one-half miles south of this point.

Erected 1963 by The Descendants of Michael Fraker and The Illinois State Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Peace • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Illinois State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.

Location. 41° 6.335′ N, 90° 0.239′ W. Marker is in Lafayette, Illinois, in Knox County. It is on Illinois Route 17 0.6 miles west of Golf Course Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: La Fayette IL 61449, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Illinois.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

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the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 17 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bishop Hill (approx. 7.2 miles away); Lincoln in Stark County (approx. 7.3 miles away); Bishop Hill Colony Historic District (approx. 8.9 miles away); 1851 Carpentry Shop (approx. 8.9 miles away); Abraham Lincoln in Kewanee (approx. 10.3 miles away); “Woodland Palace” (approx. 14.1 miles away); Henry County Veterans Memorial (approx. 16.9 miles away); Ira R. Palmer (approx. 16.9 miles away).

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 23, 2020

2. Fraker's Grove Marker

Photographed by Mallory Fraker, May 16, 2025

3. Fraker's Grove Marker

Don James Fraker (Great, Great, Great Grandson of Michael Fraker) Ashley Fraker-Fitzgerald & Mallory Fraker (Great, Great, Great, Great Granddaughters of Michael Fraker)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 27, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 590 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 27, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on May 16, 2025, by Mallory Fraker of Renton, Washington. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.