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History · Calhoun

Calhoun dates to 1848, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1920.

1848founded
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Calhoun began

When was Calhoun founded?

1848

Calhoun dates its founding to 1848 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 230 in 19202020 census: 164178 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓

What stands out about Calhoun’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 Calhoun are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 267 in 1980; 164 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsEstablished in 1848: 178 years of Calhoun.Old housesHalf of Calhoun’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Calhoun’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Calhoun’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Calhoun, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 267

Peaked at 267 in 1980; 164 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Timeline

Calhoun, 1848 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848
    FoundingCalhoun is established
  3. 1850Post officeThe Calhoun post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1949On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 267
The story

How Calhoun came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Calhoun.

Read it all →

The community of Fairview, now Calhoun, is one of the oldest communities in Richland County. While it was not officially organized under village government, the community of that name was known in the early 1830s. It was originally platted into lots by Shadrach Ruark. Reverend Ruark was an early Methodist who performed the first wedding in Richland County on October 20, 1841, when Ebeneezer Waker and Abigail Reed were united. The original plat was lost and it was replatted in 1848. When the post office was established, it took the name Calhoun, after Hugh Calhoun, the original settler

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Calhoun, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Calhoun-water-towr-il2020Calhoun-water-towr-ilCalhoun-post-office-il2020Calhoun-post-office-ilCalhoun-Village-Hall-il2020Calhoun-Village-Hall-il
On the map

Calhoun on the map, 1949 to 1971

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

Calhoun on the 1949 USGS mapCalhoun on the 1971 USGS map1949Olney 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 Calhoun.

Famous people

Famous people close to Calhoun

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

See all →
L
Lester MelroseAmerican record producer · b. 1891
Martin D. FosterAmerican politician · b. 1861
F
Frank MelroseAmerican musician · b. 1907
R
Ross PettyAmerican football player · b. 1892
W
Walter MelroseMusic publisher and lyricist · b. 1889
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Madison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOlney Township4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Calhoun’s history

What year was Calhoun founded?

In 1848, according to Wikidata. Calhoun’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1920 counted 230 people here.

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 (3), 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.