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History · Ashkum

Ashkum’s post office opened in 1856, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1944 on and the census since 1880.

1856first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
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Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Ashkum began

When was Ashkum founded?

1856

The Ashkum post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 245 in 18802020 census: 750170 years
Founding year: the first Ashkum post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Ashkum’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 Ashkum are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Ashkum’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ashkum’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ashkum’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

Ashkum, in brief

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

Ashkum is a village in Ashkum Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 750 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1856. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 761 in 2010, 750 in 2020.

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

By decade

Ashkum, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Ashkum, IL2026Ashkum, ILIL116eEndRoad-US45signs2013IL116eEndRoad-US45signsAshkum, Illinois2012Ashkum, IllinoisILMap-doton-Ashkum2006ILMap-doton-Ashkum
On the map

Ashkum on the map, 1944 to 1986

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

Ashkum on the 1944 USGS mapAshkum on the 1986 USGS map1944Gilman 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 Ashkum.

People over time

Ashkum, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 761

Between 245 and 761 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ashkum

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

See all →
P
P. C. CastAmerican writer · b. 1960
H
Henry BaconAmerican architect · b. 1866
Rex EverhartAmerican actor, singer · b. 1920
Fern AndraAmerican actress · b. 1893
C
Craig CalhounAmerican sociologist · b. 1952
Vaughn WalkerAmerican judge · b. 1944

Questions about Ashkum’s history

What year was Ashkum founded?

The Ashkum post office opened in 1856, 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 →
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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 (4), 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.