Collinsville’s post office opened in 1825, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #158 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Cahokia Mounds, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Collinsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Collinsville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Collinsville is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #158 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Collinsville’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Collinsville’s 3.3 sits above most of its state (71% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 8 listings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Collinsville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
On the map
Collinsville on the map, 1907 to 1991
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Collinsville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Belleville 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 Collinsville.
Every building
Collinsville, building by building, 1893–1915
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 year, then a sheet.
Cahokia, the largest Pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico, was developed by the Mississippian culture and is located in what is now the westernmost part of Collinsville. At its peak about 1200 CE, Cahokia had a population of 20,000-30,000, more than any city in the present-day United States until after 1800. It includes Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, and more than 70 surviving smaller mounds. Monks Mound is larger at its base than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 19121912 · page 407Read the page →
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Civil war, and when he found himself in danger of being drafted into the Federal army, he fled to Collinsville, Illinois, arriving early in 1863. Here he remained one year, returned to Cambridge for one year, and came back to Collinsville, where he continued his medical work, thoroughly devoted to his profession. He enjoyed an extensive prac¬
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Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People1912 · page 407Read the page →
Read the text
Civil war, and when he found himself in danger of being drafted into the Federal army, he fled to Collinsville, Illinois, arriving early in 1863. Here he remained one year, returned to Cambridge for one year, and came back to Collinsville, where he continued his medical work, thoroughly devoted to his profession. He enjoyed an extensive prac¬
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People1912 · page 749Read the page →
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tained in his own name the old homestead of one hundred and sixteen acres. In October, 1900, he platted and laid out the village of Maryville in Collinsville township, giving it its name in honor of his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Krome. The growth of the town has been truly remarkable, for at the time it was laid out there was nothing but farm
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.
Timeline
Collinsville, 1050 to 1964
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Collinsville post office opened in 1825, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Collinsville rank for history?
Collinsville is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #158 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Collinsville?
8 listings: 6 buildings, 1 site, and 1 structure.
How old are the homes in Collinsville?
17% of Collinsville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1971.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
★ Landmark
1933
1933
1933
1933
1938