Home › History › People › Horace Wright Fay
Occupation: Surveyor, civil engineer, and public official
Born: August 11, 1801, New York
Died: April 18, 1864, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Known for: Surveying and platting Sandwich and other DeKalb County towns
Horace Wright Fay was one of the most important early surveyors in DeKalb County, Illinois, and played a central role in laying out the physical foundations of several communities, including Sandwich.
Fay came to DeKalb County in the late 1830s, settling in Squaw Grove Township during the region’s earliest period of development. Trained as a civil engineer, he brought valuable technical skill to a frontier landscape that was still being measured, divided, and organized.
In 1853, Fay was elected DeKalb County Surveyor, a position he held for five years. During that time, he surveyed large portions of the county, running lines across prairie and timber to establish property boundaries, roads, and town sites. His work was foundational, helping transform unsettled land into organized communities.
In 1854, Fay completed and certified the original survey of the Town of Sandwich. Working on behalf of landowners Almon Gage and Jacob Hall, he laid out the town’s street grid, lots, and boundaries. The plan he created remains visible in Sandwich today, forming the framework upon which the community developed.
Map restored by Herk Schmidt
Fay’s work extended beyond Sandwich. He is credited with platting the village of Malta and contributing to the early layout of DeKalb, reflecting his broad influence across the county.
In addition to his work as a surveyor, Fay was active in public life and education. He taught school, participated in early political organization, and was known among the county’s pioneer settlers.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Fay entered service despite being nearly sixty years old. He served as a musician and later as a chaplain, participating in major campaigns including Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg. He died at Vicksburg on April 18, 1864.
Horace W. Fay’s legacy is not found in a single building or institution, but in the very layout of the communities he helped create. The streets of Sandwich and other towns in DeKalb County still follow the lines he first drew across the prairie.