Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1880.
The Compton post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1875.
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 Compton’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Compton.
A post office at the site of Compton opened on May 18, 1841; it was named Melugin Grove after the village's first settler, Zachariah Melugin. The village's name was changed to Compton on July 16, 1873, after Joel Compton.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Peaked at 428 in 1900; 274 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Compton’s Wikipedia page.
Passages that mention Compton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Compton was laid out in 1873 upon land owned by Joel Compton, from whom the village derived its name. It is situated on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad in the eastern part of the township.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.![Between West Brooklyn platted on section 8 and Compton platted on section 11 a fierce rivalry existed from the first and only until recent years has the old feud died down. Compton was platted ])y Joel ( 'om})ton on his farm. West Brooklyn was platted by Demas L. Harris, O. P. Johnson and R. N. Woo…](https://images.townratings.com/story/3260/bk-ad63a86dc339e98d-l.jpg)
Between West Brooklyn platted on section 8 and Compton platted on section 11 a fierce rivalry existed from the first and only until recent years has the old feud died down. Compton was platted ])y Joel ( 'om})ton on his farm. West Brooklyn was platted by Demas L. Harris, O. P. Johnson and R. N. Woods. Believing that the factional warfare would ruin both places, Andrew J. Carnahan conceived the plan of )>uilding on his farm, the northeast c|uarter of section 9, midway ])etween the rivals, another town and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Then, as well as now, officials were sometimes actuated by selfish motives, and the agreement was disregarded. The railroad officials located the stati<:)n on the site that is now occupied by the village of Compton in the east end of the township. This action was the cause of the founders of West Brooklyn taking the initiative and planning a village to suit their own ideas.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
possession of certain lands, it is said, the company located the station at Compton. But Mr. Carnahan, nothing daunted by this defeat, laid his claim before the Chicago, Burlington & Qnincy Railroad Company wlien they became owners of the road. After some effort on liis part a station was granted him, which was to be made at his own expense.
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.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
Born hereJoe Zdeb is born hereWeddings 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 Compton. 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 Compton.
The Compton post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1875.
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.
