Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1880.
The De Witt post office opened in 1844, 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 De Witt’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of De Witt.
DeWitt was originally called Marion, and under the latter name was platted in 1836. The present name is for DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York, 1817–1823.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention De Witt, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of De Witt as now situated is long and straggling, extending from the original town of Marion north to the railroad, a distance of about three-fourths of a mile. The addition was made by A. C. Jones, August 2.3d, 1871, and described as follows : Commencing at the N. E. corner of the E. i of the S. E. part of section IS, town 20 N. R. 4 E., south on section line 2,646 feet to section corner; westerly on section line 1,240 feet; north 2,646 feet, easterly 1,240 feet except right of way of the G. C.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
St.\te of Illisois, I De Witt County. J ' The grand jurors, chosen, selected, and sworn in and for the county of De Witt, in the name and by the authority of the people of the State of Illinois, upon their odths presen', that one George Clifton, on the first day of September, A. D. 1839, at the county of De Witt and slate aforesaid, one hog of the value of five dollars, (being then and there the property of one B. Lowery,) unlawfully, wilfulh',
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.
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 De Witt. 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 De Witt.
Between 122 and 293 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on De Witt’s Wikipedia page.
The De Witt post office opened in 1844, 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, 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.
