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History · Beaverville

Beaverville dates to 1851, and 50% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the St. Mary's Church. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1900.

1851founded
1on the National Register
50%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Beaverville began

When was Beaverville founded?

1851

Beaverville dates its founding to 1851 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 395 in 19002020 census: 306175 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Beaverville’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 Beaverville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Beaverville’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Beaverville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beaverville’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 Beaverville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Beaverville.

Read it all →

In 1851, 32 families from the area of Montreal, Canada, mostly newlywed or single, came up the St. Lawrence River in search of farmland on the prairie. They traveled across the Great Lakes and stopped at Fort Dearborn (Chicago). Then they pushed south through the swamps and frontier until they reached the area that is now Beaverville. The settlement, named "St. Marie," was led by Francis Besse, who became a general merchant. The group consisted of families with names such as Fortin, Dionne, Boudreau, Benoit, Nourie, Lafond, Lemna, and at least six Arseneau families. They settled here because of the good land and the many creeks.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Beaverville, 1851 to 1939

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851
    FoundingBeaverville is established
  3. 1857Post officeThe Beaverville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1909BuiltSt. Mary's Church is built
  6. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Beaverville, decade by decade

Today2 recent
St. Charles houses in2015St. Charles houses inILMap-doton-Beaverville2006ILMap-doton-Beaverville
On the map

Beaverville on the map, 1939 to 1964

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

Beaverville on the 1939 USGS mapBeaverville on the 1964 USGS map1939Watseka 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 Beaverville.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Beaverville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1996
St. Mary's Church
St. Mary's Church, built 1909
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Romanesque1
Renaissance1
St. Mary's ChurchRomanesque · Built 1909

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Beaverville, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 442

Between 278 and 442 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Beaverville

Nobody well known was born in Beaverville 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
Sam RiceAmerican baseball player · b. 1890

Questions about Beaverville’s history

What year was Beaverville founded?

In 1851, according to Wikidata. Beaverville’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1900 counted 395 people here.

What is on the National Register in Beaverville?

One place: the St. Mary's Church (listed 1996).

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 (2), the National Register of Historic Places (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.