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History · Brownstown

Brownstown’s post office opened in 1870, and 21% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Floyd and Glenora Dycus House. Below: maps from 1945 on and the census since 1880.

1870first post office
1on the National Register
21%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Brownstown began

When was Brownstown founded?

1870

The Brownstown post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 121 in 18802020 census: 690156 years
Founding year: the first Brownstown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Brownstown’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 Brownstown are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Brownstown’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brownstown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brownstown’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
The story so far

Brownstown, in brief

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

Brownstown is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. The population was 690 at the 2020 census, down from 759 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1870. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 759 to 690 (-9%).

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

By decade

Brownstown, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Brownstown Illinois High School2026Brownstown Illinois High SchoolFloyd and Glenora Dycus House2013Floyd and Glenora Dycus House
On the map

Brownstown on the map, 1945 to 1985

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

Brownstown on the 1945 USGS mapBrownstown on the 1985 USGS map1945Kinmundy 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 Brownstown.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Brownstown

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2001
Floyd and Glenora Dycus House
Floyd and Glenora Dycus House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow/Craftsman1
Arts and Crafts1
Floyd and Glenora Dycus HouseBungalow/Craftsman

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Brownstown, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 825

Between 121 and 825 people in every census since 1880.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Brownstown’s history

What year was Brownstown founded?

The Brownstown post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Brownstown?

One place: the Floyd and Glenora Dycus House (listed 2001).

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), the National Register of Historic Places (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.