Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1819.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Albion’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Albion is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Albion’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Albion’s 5.0 sits above most of its state (75% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). Two sources give 1817.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Albion’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The settlement now known as Albion was originally known to the world as "Mr. Morris Birkbeck's English Prairie", when Morris Birkbeck, an English Quaker, with co-founder George Flower (1788–1862) established the town as a utopian community in 1817. In 1818, following an irreconcilable fall-out between Birkbeck and Flower, the portion of English Prairie then settled on by Flower was given the name Albion.
Passages that mention Albion, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the English settlement in Edwards County, Illinois1882 · page 329Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Albion, in its early days, was rather belligerent. In 1822, we find it quiet, and only between one hundred, and one hundred and seventy or eighty inhabitants, — rather small to be dignified as a town, and a county-town, too; and it is not a large town now, in i860, being somewhat under a thousand inhabitants. But Albion has had, from the first, some peculiar characteristics. In its early days, it had a larger proportion of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the English settlement in Edwards county, Illinois, founded in 1817 and 1818, by Morris Birkbeck and George Flower1909 · page 253Read the page →
Read the text
But a change is working, and the little peculiarities of the town will soon be obliterated. Under the bankinglaw of the State, Albion has now a bank — a sort of spiritual affair, but reversing the order of spiritual manifestations— its invisible spirit residing in Albion, its body must be in some other sphere. Its notes may circulate in the moon, but never show their face in Albion ; for every such offence would be punished by transmutation into metal.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the English settlement in Edwards County, Illinois1882 · page 332Read the page →
Read the text
But a change is working, and the little peculiarities of the town will soon be obliterated. Under the bankinglaw of the State, Albion has now a bank — a sort of spiritual affair, but reversing the order of spiritual manifestations— its invisible spirit residing in Albion, its body must be in some other sphere. Its notes may circulate in the moon, but never show their face in Albion ; for every such oftence would be punished by transmutation into metal.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of the English settlement in Edwards county, Illinois, founded in 1817 and 1818, by Morris Birkbeck and George Flower1909 · page 251Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Albion, in its early days, was rather belligerent. In 1822, we find it quiet, and only between one hundred, and one hundred and seventy or eighty inhabitants, — rather small to be dignified as a town, and a county-town, too; and it is not a large town now, in i860, being; somewhat under a thousand inhabitants. But
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
Albion, decade by decade
One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1817, according to Wikidata. Albion’s post office opened in 1819, and the census of 1850 counted 365 people here.
How does Albion rank for history?
Albion is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Albion?
One place: the St. Johns Episcopal Church (listed 2012).
How old are the homes in Albion?
16% of Albion’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1969.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
Date?
2012
2012
2012
