Sylvan
Ghost town · Cass County, Illinois

Sylvan is a ghost town in Cass County, Illinois, recorded as human settlement in Cass County, Illinois, United States of America. It is one of 3 former communities in Cass County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 26th among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Sylvan as a historical populated place on the Ashland topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 39.9850° N, 90.0712° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Ashland |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 608 ft |
| Nearest living town | Chandlerville, IL |
| Distance to it | 6 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 423227 |
| Coordinates | 39.98505, -90.07123 |
What's there now
Sylvan is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Chandlerville, IL (population 552), about 6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 608 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Gurneyghost town · Cass County · 6 mi
- Jordanvilleghost town · Morgan County · 8.9 mi
- Cassghost town · Cass County · 10.6 mi
- New Salemghost town · Menard County · 12.1 mi
- Moscowghost town · Mason County · 13.3 mi
- Savageghost town · Morgan County · 15.9 mi
- Browntonghost town · Morgan County · 16.6 mi
- Davisghost town · Morgan County · 22.5 mi
- Ottoghost town · Fulton County · 22.9 mi
- Sudduthghost town · Sangamon County · 23.6 mi
- Morgan Cityghost town · Morgan County · 24.4 mi
- Waterfordghost town · Fulton County · 24.7 mi
Questions
Where is Sylvan?
Sylvan is in Cass County, Illinois, at 39.9850, -90.0712.
How many ghost towns are in Cass County?
Cass County, Illinois has 3 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.