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The Village of Orangeville got its start in 1823, when John Curtiss built a grist mill along Richland Creek, a spring-fed stream suitable for water mills, near the location where High Street crosses the creek today. After Curtiss died, the mill fell into disrepair until it was bought and repaired in 1833 by John Bower, a settler from Pennsylvania. Soon, others joined Bower as farmers from New York and Pennsylvania, many of them of German descent, settled along the banks of Richland Creek. In 1849, Bower completed his farm residence, Union House, and in 1851, he platted the surrounding land as a village he named "Orangeville." The early grist mill, creamery and wagon maker, and one of the largest general stores in the area serviced the agrarian economy. The village was incorporated in 1867 and experienced a population boom in 1887 when the Illinois Central Railroad arrived; many of the brick buildings comprising the downtown area date to that time. The second growth spurt occurred in the post World War II years, when returning veterans settled down to work in the factories in the nearby cities of Freeport, IL, and Monroe, WI, and to raise their families. Between 1990 and 2000, Orangeville's population increased from 451 to 751, with the annexation and subdivision of surrounding farmlands. Today, the village's commerce continues to serve its residents as well as those of the surrounding agricultural region. Orangeville has maintained many of its historical properties, five of which are listed on the National Register for Historic Places: The William Ritzman residence, a Greek Revival home built in 1848, is one of the earliest brick farmhouses in the area. The Ritzman house lies just south of the Orangeville village limits on Church Street. Union House, 1849, is one of the few Gothic Revival residences in the village. Located at 209 W. High Street, the house was the home of village founder John Bower. Originally platted on the north edge of the village, it was the home of the first three doctors to live in Orangeville. AF & AM (Masonic) Lodge 687 was built in 1877, serving as the first public forum in the village. It has housed the Orangeville Masonic Lodge continuously since it opened. Today, after major restoration, the first floor serves as the venue for the Mighty Richland Players Dinner/Desert Theater, and still serves as a public forum, hosting community dinners and other events. The Lodge is located at 203 W. High Street. Central House, 1888, was the village's second hotel, built on the site of the first hotel, which was destroyed by fire the previous year. The builder of the first hotel was John Bower. The second hotel, located at 210 W. High Street, was built by Bower's son-in-law, John Hoyman of Lena. Today, Central House is a private residence. The People's State Bank, built in 1926 at 300 W. High Street, was the village's third bank, built after a merger of Orangeville State Bank and People's Community Bank. In 1932, it became home to the Orangeville American Legion and in 1956, reopened as Orangeville Community Bank until 1980, when it was sold into private hands. Today, the completely restored building hosts occasional community events while being privately owned.