Dunham Castle

Wayne is a village in DuPage and Kane counties, Illinois, United States. The eastern portion, in DuPage County, is in Wayne Township, while the western portion, in Kane County, is in St. Charles Township. The population was 2,286 as of the 2020 census. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Wayne was a prominent center of horse breeding and farming research. The community, situated in a small, rural valley, was known for breeding French Percheron horses, a draught horse similar to a Clydesdale. Wayne was founded in the 1800s at the same time as the similarly named Wayne Center. Wayne Center was located on Army Trail Road at DuPage River crossing and no longer exists. "Downtown" Wayne was originally a railroad outpost built along Glos Street and Army Trail Road. The village is much smaller than the cities that surround it. This is partially due to the native Oak savanna landscape between the DuPage and Fox rivers, with Tallgrass prairies that retain a large amount of water in the spring season. The village is surrounded by these prairies on three sides, and has taken steps to maintain them in their natural state.