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History · Bowen

Bowen was first counted by the census in 1880, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1919 on and the census since 1880.

1880first census
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bowen began

When was Bowen founded?

1880

Bowen first appears in the census in 1880. Another post office, Bowensburg (1863), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 289 in 18802020 census: 464146 years
Founding year: the first census.

What stands out about Bowen’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 Bowen are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 715 in 1920; 464 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Bowen’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bowen’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bowen’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
People over time

Bowen, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 715

Peaked at 715 in 1920; 464 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Bowen, in brief

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

Bowen (formerly Bowensburg) is a village in southeast Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 464 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1880. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 494 to 464 (-6%).

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

Timeline

Bowen, 1863 to 1948

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Post officeThe Bowensburg post office opens
  3. 1887Post officeThe Bowensburg post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Bowen post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 715
  7. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bowen, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Bowen library close 2026-08-302026Bowen library close 2026-08-30Bowen IL post office 2026-08-302026Bowen IL post office 2026-08-30
On the map

Bowen on the map, 1948 to 1981

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

Bowen on the 1948 USGS mapBowen on the 1981 USGS map1948Camp Point 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 Bowen.

Every building

Bowen, building by building, 1919

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Bowen fire insurance map, 1919, sheet 11919Sheet 1 of 1
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

Famous people close to Bowen

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

See all →
Adelaide JohnsonAmerican sculptor · b. 1859
Edmond H. MadisonAmerican politician · b. 1865
E
Earl TyreeAmerican baseball player · b. 1890
T
Tesha BussAmerican politician from Vermont
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Bowen’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Bowensburg, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bowensburg
1863–1887
Bowen
1887–today
18601940today

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

Questions about Bowen’s history

What year was Bowen founded?

The Bowen post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.