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History · Allendale

Allendale dates to 1869, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 1880.

1869founded
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Southern Illinois SKYWARN · Public domain
Quick answers

How Allendale began

When was Allendale founded?

1869

Allendale dates its founding to 1869 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 283 in 18802020 census: 458157 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓

What stands out about Allendale’s 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 Allendale are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 613 in 1980; 458 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19153 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1964. Watch Allendale change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Allendale’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Allendale, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 613

Peaked at 613 in 1980; 458 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Allendale’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Allendale on the map, 1915 to 1964

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

Allendale on the 1915 USGS mapAllendale on the 1944 USGS mapAllendale on the 1964 USGS map1915Vincennes 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 Allendale.

The story

How Allendale came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Allendale.

Read it all →

Allendale was founded in 1869, taking its name from Colonel C. M. Allen, a railroad official.

On January 7, 1989, an F4 tornado leveled a good portion of the town of Allendale and injured 55 of its residents.

The tornado directly impacted Allendale's school, destroying the grade school portion, built in the 1960s. The high school portion, built in the late 1920s, withstood the storm with minimal damage, despite being condemned two years earlier due to lobbying by Mt. Carmel's District 348 in an attempt to usurp District 17. Relief funds paid to build a brand new school to be used by the elementary and middle school students of District 17. Their motto was "NEVER BACK DOWN, NEVER GIVE UP."

Chapters1989 tornado

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Allendale, 1869 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1869
    FoundingAllendale is established
  3. 1870Post officeThe Allendale post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 613
By decade

Allendale, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Allendale school2007Allendale school
Famous people

Famous people close to Allendale

Nobody well known was born in Allendale itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Robert RidgwayAmerican ornithologist · b. 1850
Jackie YoungAmerican basketball player · b. 1997
Melba PhillipsAmerican physicist and science educator · b. 1907
The Amazing CriswellAmerican psychic · b. 1907
M
Mark MedoffAmerican actor and writer · b. 1940
Mack V. WrightAmerican actor and director · b. 1894

Questions about Allendale’s history

What year was Allendale founded?

In 1869, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Allendale’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1880 counted 283 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.