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C−History
History · Bartlett

Bartlett’s post office opened in 1873

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #658 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Bartlett was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1880.

1873first post office
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bartlett began

When was Bartlett founded?

1873

The Bartlett post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1891. Another post office, Wayne Centre (1851), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 175 in 18802020 census: 41,105153 years

How historic is Bartlett?

C−

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Bartlett post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1891.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Bartlett’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bartlett is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #658 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bartlett’s overall grade.
Founding era1873, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19402.3% of homes (±0.7) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 18%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 14%

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 Bartlett’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1891 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Bartlett’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 Bartlett are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bartlett’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bartlett’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

How Bartlett came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bartlett.

Read it all →

In its earliest times, the Village of Bartlett, Illinois, served as a hunting and camping ground for the Cherokee, Miami, Potawatomi, and Ottawa Indians. Throughout the past, the Northwest Territory, Virginia, Indiana, Spain, France and England had staked their claim for Bartlett. However, the territory was owned by a man named Luther Bartlett. Luther and Sophia Bartlett had decided that a station stop would be beneficial for their town and townspeople. In 1873, Bartlett gave a monetary contribution and half of his 40-acre woodlot towards the construction for a train depot, which is why the town is named after Luther Bartlett. Bartlett later became one of the premiere pig towns, becoming their main export for years to come. A petition for incorporation was filed in Springfield on February 11, 1891. The village was incorporated on June 21, 1892. Bartlett experienced the majority of its p…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bartlett, 1851 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851Post officeThe Wayne Centre post office opens
  3. 1862Post officeThe Wayne Centre post office closes
  4. 1873Post officeThe Bartlett post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1976Born herePaul Christiano is born here
  8. 1992Born hereJake Kumerow is born here
  9. 1996Born hereSavanah Uveges is born here
By decade

Bartlett, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Lawn on Cromwell cir2010Lawn on Cromwell cirLake at forest preserve2010Lake at forest preserveGuest parking lot by E Fairfax2010Guest parking lot by E FairfaxGuest parking lot 32010Guest parking lot 3Guest parking lot2010Guest parking lotGuest parking lol 22010Guest parking lol 2Fountain from the center2010Fountain from the centerForest preserve area2010Forest preserve areaForest preserve2010Forest preserveFairfax ^ Stockton2010Fairfax ^ StocktonFairfax Lane facing north2010Fairfax Lane facing northFacing the long strip of grassy lawn2010Facing the long strip of grassy lawnFacing Army Trail Road2010Facing Army Trail RoadEmpty artificial pond facing south2010Empty artificial pond facing southEmpty artificial pond facing north2010Empty artificial pond facing northCromwell circle street sign2010Cromwell circle street signCromwell circle facing east2010Cromwell circle facing eastCromwell Circle 32010Cromwell Circle 3Benches on the right2010Benches on the rightBench near water2010Bench near waterSmall Moth - Flickr - GregTheBusker2009Small Moth - Flickr - GregTheBuskerBartlett IL 2009 reference map2009Bartlett IL 2009 reference mapMapGrant Highway Markers2007Grant Highway MarkersUS-IL-Chicagoland-Bartlett2005US-IL-Chicagoland-Bartlett
On the map

Bartlett on the map, 1953 to 1993

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

Bartlett on the 1953 USGS mapBartlett on the 1962 USGS mapBartlett on the 1972 USGS mapBartlett on the 1980 USGS mapBartlett on the 1993 USGS map1953West Chicago sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bartlett.

People over time

Bartlett, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 41,208

Between 175 and 41,208 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Bartlett

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Jake KumerowAmerican football player · b. 1992
S
Savanah UvegesAmerican soccer player · b. 1996
P
Paul ChristianoAmerican choreographer · b. 1976
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Bartlett’s post office has been open since 1873. Another post office, Wayne Centre, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wayne Centre
1851–1862
Bartlett
1873–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Spring Lake Mobile Home ParkWayne Center
Gone or out of use
Oak Glen Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Bartlett
Bartlett

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

StreamwoodIts storyDElgin12 historic placesAHanover ParkIts storyD−South ElginIts storyC−Wayne Township3 historic placesC+Wayne3 historic placesB+Hanover Township1 historic placeCCarol StreamIts storyD−

Questions about Bartlett’s history

What year was Bartlett founded?

The Bartlett post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1891.

How does Bartlett rank for history?

Bartlett is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #658 of 768 in Illinois. 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.

How old are the homes in Bartlett?

2% of Bartlett’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1992.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (24), 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) 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.