Leland Grove, IL

Just southwest of Springfield’s core, Leland Grove blends quiet, tree-lined streets with a surprising amount of history packed into a small footprint. The municipality counts roughly 1,595 residents as of 2025 and is best known for its close connection to Washington Park’s trails and carillon concerts, as well as a pair of nationally recognized homes that architecture fans seek out on weekend drives. 

The backstory reads like a civic folk tale. After World War II, new subdivisions spread across former pastureland, but the roads crumbled. Neighbors organized and discovered state law didn’t allow a new village next to a city and found a workaround: incorporate as a city instead. In 1950 they did exactly that, then levied a wheel tax to repair the streets. A later referendum to fold into Springfield failed decisively in 1957, reinforcing a tradition of self-governance that still shapes the community’s identity. Even the name carries a touch of lore—said to come from an oak grove linked to the 19th-century Leland family—though the connection is described as more legend than documented fact.  

Two addresses anchor the area’s architectural significance. The Colonial Revival–style Alvin S. Keys House, designed in 1929–30 by Murray S. Hanes, sits across from the Illini Country Club and appears on the National Register of Historic Places. Not far away, the Hugh M. Garvey House, completed in 1959, is an International Style residence by architect John Benya and also listed on the National Register. Together they mark different chapters of mid-century residential design and remain reference points for local history buffs. 

Daily life here often flows toward Washington Park next door, where the Thomas Rees Memorial Carillon fills summer evenings with themed Friday concerts and hosts the long-running International Carillon Festival each June. Families spread blankets on the grass, listen under the trees, and come back in the fall for the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, when hundreds of carved pumpkins glow around the tower. The park’s botanical garden and lagoon walks round out an easy afternoon.

Food and drink options cluster along corridors that residents use every week. For a wine-centric meal and broad American menu, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant stays busy from brunch through dinner. Engrained Brewing Company, a locally owned brewpub, pairs farm-to-table plates with house beers and a sustainability bent that’s earned regional press. Sweet tooths head to Pease’s at BUNN Gourmet for handmade chocolates, coffee, and a café menu.

Community touchstones extend beyond the plate. Illini Country Club, founded in the early 1900s, continues as a private social and golf hub on Illini Road, and Christ the King Parish and School anchors calendars with parish events and school activities that spill into neighborhood life. These institutions, together with the park programming, create a steady rhythm of gatherings, recitals, and school nights that locals recognize from one season to the next. 

At CatchIt Wildlife, we work in and around Leland Grove every week, so we know how close roofs sit to mature trees and how attics, vents, and crawlspaces can become entry points for raccoons, squirrels, bats, and other critters. If you’re hearing scratching, seeing droppings, or noticing chewed screens, we can inspect, seal problem gaps, and clean up the mess. Contact us to schedule an inspection.