Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1981 on, and old-book passages.
The Atlanta Township post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Atlanta Township’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Atlanta Township.
In December 1836, surveyors platted the community of New Castle, located on the site of present-day Atlanta. The New Castle post office opened on November 26, 1847.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Atlanta Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
1868; Robert A., born October 23, 1836, died August 15, 1846, and Mary E., born June 30, 1845, died March 15, 1848. Zebulon Cantrall came to Logan County, Illinois, in 1834 and settled on section 36, Atlanta Township. He assisted in the organization of the Presbyterian church at Waynesville in 1836 and for twentytwo years served that church as ruling elder. He was justice of the peace of Atlanta Township for many years, and for several years served as associate judge of Logan County, being a wise
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.
2019Atlanta, Illinois, USA
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2014Atlanta UMC from south
2008J.H. Hawes elevator
2008Atlanta Tower
2008Atlanta Illinois Happy face water tower
2007The Public Library in
2007J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator in
2007Detail of J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator inThe U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Atlanta Township.
1981McLean sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Atlanta Township.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Atlanta Township’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Atlanta Township post office opened in 1853, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (14), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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