Belleville dates to 1814, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 95% of U.S. towns · #31 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 637 buildings between them. Below: 19 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1816.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Belleville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Belleville is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #31 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Belleville’s overall grade.
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 Belleville’s 155 sits above most of its state (95% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 640 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1814.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Belleville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Grange Hall SchoolschoolMidwest Mine Number 3mineOak Hill Golf ClublocaleOgles Station SchoolschoolSaint Elizabeth's HospitalhospitalTwiss Hill Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Belleville
B'Nai IsraelMount CarmelMount HopeWalnut Hill
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
By decade
Belleville, decade by decade
7 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1814, George Blair Belleville after the French phrase belle ville, meaning "beautiful city". Because Blair donated an acre of his land for the town square and an additional 25 acres (10 ha) adjoining the square for the new county seat, the legislature transferred the county seat from the village of Cahokia, which French colonists had established as a mission village in the late 17th century.
Passages that mention Belleville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations ... and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1881 · page 51Read the page →
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He was appointed sheriff of St. Clair county, and held that office for several years. In 1802 he moved with his family to the site of the present city of Belleville, where he owned two hundred acres of land, on which the town of Belleville was located in the year 1814. He is said to have applied the name of Belleville to the new county-seat. Further mention of his name will be found iu the history of Belleville.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial, McKendree college, with St. Clair County history1928Read the page →
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present county of Monroe, and had a distillery there. He was appointed sheriff of St. Clair county and held that office for several years. In 1802, he moved with his family to the site of the present city of Belleville where he owned two hundred acres of land. On his land the town of Belleville was located in 1814. He is said to have suggested the name Belleville for the new town and county seat. The "Sugar Loaf" tract of land south of Cahokia near the Monroe county line was first
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations ... and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1881 · page 185Read the page →
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The town of Belleville in 1819 or 1820, according to the recollection of some of the old pioneer citizens still living, was composed of between twenty and twenty-five families residing within the present corporate limits of Belleville and West Belleville. Several of these families have already been mentioned. At that period the old house of George Blair on Illinois street was occupied by a store which was carried on by the firm of Glasgow, Porter and Nevin.
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Centennial, McKendree college, with St. Clair County history1928Read the page →
Read the text
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF BELLEVILLE The city of Belleville, Illinois, had its first beginning in the year 1814, when, as authentic records inform us, it was platted and laid out in George Blair's cornfield. The founders, influenced, no doubt, by the early French settlers of the county, gave it the euphonious French name "Belleville."
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.
Timeline
Belleville, 1814 to 1952
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1814, according to Wikidata. Belleville’s post office opened in 1816, and the census of 1850 counted 2,941 people here.
How does Belleville rank for history?
Belleville is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns, #31 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.
What is on the National Register in Belleville?
6 listings: 3 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Belleville Historic District, the Blair Historic District and the Town of West Belleville Historic District, with 637 contributing buildings. 640 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Belleville?
26% of Belleville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 (23), the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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), 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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