Most of Bonnie was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1940.
The first settlement in this area was Spring Garden, about four miles southeast of Bonnie. There were several springs in the area. Early in the 19th century, Uriah Compton walled them up and built a resort called "Compton's Springs". In 1848, the village of Spring Garden was platted next to the resort. Spring Garden grew rapidly, becoming the second largest settlement in the county, even having a high school by 1888. In 1905, however, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was built about three miles to the west. Spring Garden began a long decline as the business and population shifted to the rail depots at Bonnie and Ina. George Washington Hayes (1842–1927) donated some of the land originally making up Bonnie.
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 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.
