Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1870.
The Broadwell post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Broadwell’s history is told.
Peaked at 246 in 1910; 136 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Broadwell’s Wikipedia page.
From Wikipedia’s history of Broadwell.
The village of Broadwell was platted in 1856 by William Broadwell and Jacob Eisiminger, which occurred in conjunction with the construction of the railroad linking Chicago and Springfield.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Broadwell, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Broadwell was incorporated as a village by act of the Legislature approved March 13, 1869. The village limits were made to run half a mile from the center. The first incorporation, however, was made June 9, 1866, without authority of the Legislature. The officers chosen then and for the present year have been: 1866. — Trustees, S. L. D. Ramsay (President), J. H.Thompson, C. D. McCauley, Jacob Eisiminger and Albert McCollister; Constable and Street Commissioner, H. R. Slay ton; Clerk, J. W.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
difierent cities in this State, working at his trade. From Rockford he went to Decatnr, thence to Paris, where he remained a year. In 1857 he came to Logan County, locating in Lincoln, and in 1859 he removed to Broadwell where he has since resided, with the exception of a part of the year 1859, when he had charge of the Madison House at Joliet. After returning from Joliet he opened a general grocery store in the village of Broadwell, which he conducted successfully until May 1, 1885, when be retired from active
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Broadwell was incorporated as a village by act of the Legislat¬ ure approved March 13, 1869. The village limits were made to run half a mile from the center. The first incorporation, however, was made June 9, 1866, without authority of the Legislature. The officers chosen then and for the present year have been: 1866. — Trustees, S. L. D. Ramsay (President), J. H. Thompson, C. D. McCauley, Jacob Eisiminger and Albert McCollister; Con¬ stable and Street Commissioner, H. R. Slayton; Clerk, J. W.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
different cities in this State, working at his trade. From Rockford he went to Decatnr, thence to Paris, where he remained a year. In 1857 he came to Logan County, locating in Lincoln, and in 1859 he removed to Broadwell where he has since resided, with the exT ception of a part of the year 1859, when he had charge of the Madison House at Joliet. After returning from Joliet he opened a general grocery store in the village of Broadwell, which he con¬ ducted successfully until May 1, 1885, when he retired from active
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Broadwell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Broadwell.
The Broadwell post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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, 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.
