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History · Argenta

Argenta’s post office opened in 1874, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940

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

1874first post office
0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Argenta began

When was Argenta founded?

1874

The Argenta post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 74 in 18802020 census: 913152 years
Founding year: the first Argenta post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Argenta’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 Argenta are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Argenta’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Argenta’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Argenta’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
The story so far

Argenta, in brief

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

Argenta is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States, whose population was 913 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 947 to 913 (-4%).

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

By decade

Argenta, decade by decade

Today4 recent
WBUI TV antenna2007WBUI TV antennaWAND and WBUI towers2007WAND and WBUI towersWAND TV antenna2007WAND TV antennaArgenta Illinois Post Office2007Argenta Illinois Post Office
On the map

Argenta on the map, 1929 to 1998

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

Argenta on the 1929 USGS mapArgenta on the 1933 USGS mapArgenta on the 1967 USGS mapArgenta on the 1975 USGS mapArgenta on the 1998 USGS map1929Decatur 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 Argenta.

Every building

Argenta, building by building, 1915

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 sheet.

Argenta fire insurance map, 1915, sheet 11915Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

People over time

Argenta, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,034

Between 74 and 1,034 people in every census since 1880.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Argenta

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

See all →
Alison KraussAmerican musician · b. 1971
I
Ivan FuquaTrack and field athlete from America · b. 1909
Nan MartinAmerican actress · b. 1927
Helen FergusonAmerican actress · b. 1900
Charles Edward TaylorAmerican airplane mechanic · b. 1868
C
Charles Christopher AdamsAmerican zoologist · b. 1873

Questions about Argenta’s history

What year was Argenta founded?

The Argenta post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 (4), 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 and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.