Braceville is a village in Grundy County, Illinois, United States, with a portion in Will County. The population was 724 at the 2020 census.
History
Braceville was founded under the name "Sulphur Springs" by Reverend L. S. Robbins in 1834. In 1848, after Robbin's death, the town elected its first official supervisor, B. R. Dowd, who changed the name to Braceville after his home town of Braceville Township, Ohio. When coal was discovered in the region, residents became interested in the mining industry. However, no mines have ever been opened, and gradually, the town shifted its focus on other industries. The population has fluctuated over time, but is now growing at a steady rate.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Braceville has a total area of , of which (or 93.17%) is land and (or 6.83%) is water.
Illinois Route 129 Bridge
thumb|Lost Braceville US 66 bridge
For many years, Route 66 (and later Route 129) crossed a railroad line and a creek via a bowstring arch bridge south of Braceville. Route 53 on the south side of the railroad line did not cross anything, so there was only one bridge on the northern highway. The two state highways traveled parallel to each other for several miles. In 1994 however, the arch bridge was closed off, and was removed in 2000.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Braceville village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|777
|747
|style='background: #ffffe6; |656
|98.11%
|94.20%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |90.61%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.38%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|1
|2
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.13%
|0.25%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.38%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.14%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|5
|13
|style='background: #ffffe6; |30
|0.63%
|1.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.14%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|9
|25
|style='background: #ffffe6; |35
|1.14%
|3.15%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.83%
|-
|Total
|792
|793
|style='background: #ffffe6; |724
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
As of the 2020 census
Portions in Will County are in the Reed Custer Community Unit School District 255U<!--UNI 33380-->.
Notable person
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- Al Braithwood, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Rebels