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History · Adams

Adams dates to 1838, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1925 on.

1838founded
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Adams began

When was Adams founded?

1838

Adams dates its founding to 1838 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1850.

2020 census: 75188 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.

What stands out about Adams’ past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Adams are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1838: 188 years of Adams.
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Start Adams’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Adams’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Adams, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Adams yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Adams is an unincorporated town in Burton Township, Adams County, Illinois, United States, approximately 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Quincy. It is tracked by the census bureau as a census-designated place. Adams was laid out in 1838 and as of the 2020 census, had a population of 75.

Adams was established in 1838.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Adams on the map, 1925 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Adams. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Adams on the 1925 USGS mapAdams on the 1981 USGS map1925Liberty sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Adams.

Questions about Adams’ history

What year was Adams founded?

In 1838, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Adams’ post office opened in 1850.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.