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History · Beecher City

Beecher City’s post office opened in 1872, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1880.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Beecher City’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Beecher City began

When was Beecher City founded?

1872

The Beecher City post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1881.

First census: 70 in 18802020 census: 428154 years
Founding year: the first Beecher City post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1881.

What stands out about Beecher City’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Beecher City’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Beecher City’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewBeecher Mausoleum, Route 1 and Horner L…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Beecher City, in brief

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

Beecher City is a village in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. Beecher City is part of the Effingham, Illinois Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 428 at the 2020 census. Beecher City was founded in 1872.

Its first post office opened in 1872. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 463 to 428 (-8%).

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

By decade

Beecher City, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Beecher Mausoleum, Route 1 and Horner LaneDate?Beecher Mausoleum, Route 1 and Horner Lane
On the map

Beecher City on the map, 1941 to 1983

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

Beecher City on the 1941 USGS mapBeecher City on the 1983 USGS map1941St Elmo 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 Beecher City.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Beecher Mausoleum, Route 1 and Horner Lane
Retake this viewBeecher Mausoleum, Route 1 and Horner Lane

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Beecher City’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Beecher City, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 506

Between 70 and 506 people in every census since 1880.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Beecher City

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

See all →
C
Carl A. KemmeCatholic bishop in the United States · b. 1960
Jimmy KiteAmerican racing driver · b. 1976
Daniel WinklerAmerican baseball player · b. 1990
Ross WolfMajor League Baseball Player · b. 1982
Brian ShouseAmerican baseball player · b. 1968
F
Fred K. HufferAmerican composer and conductor · b. 1879

Questions about Beecher City’s history

What year was Beecher City founded?

The Beecher City post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1881.

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 the Library of Congress (1), 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.