–Not graded

History · Energy

Energy was first counted by the census in 1910

Most of Energy was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1976. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1910.

1910first census

0on the National Register

6%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

1famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Energy’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Energy began, and where its name came from

When was Energy founded?

1910

Energy first appears in the census in 1910. Another post office, Fordville (1905), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 885 in 19102020 census: 974116 years

How did Energy get its name?

Energy was named for Wiley Ford and his son, William, who platted the village.

Founding year: the first census. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Energy’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1910 and 1940, then more than doubled.On the map since 19104 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1978. Watch Energy change.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Energy’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewChurch. Energy, Illinois: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

People over time

Energy, census by census

Lost half of its people between 1910 and 1940, then more than doubled.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the map

Energy on the map, 1910 to 1978

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

1910Herrin 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 Energy.

The story

How Energy came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Energy.

Read it all →

What is now Energy was originally known as "Fordville," which was established in the early 1900s as a stop along the Coal Belt Railway. It was named for Wiley Ford and his son, William, who platted the village. A post office opened in 1905, and the village incorporated the following year.

In 1909, Herbert Taylor (1876–1937) purchased the coal mining operations in the area. He marketed his company's coal under the name "Energy," and in 1913 he convinced the Fordville village council to adopt this name for the village. The post office changed its name the same year.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Energy, 1905 to 2000

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

20th century
1905Post officeThe Fordville post office opens
1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1913Post officeThe Fordville post office closes
1913Post officeThe Energy post office opens
1939In the archiveChurch. Energy, Illinois
1968Born hereJamie White is born here
21st century
2000CensusPopulation peaks at 1,175

By decade

Energy, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s1 item

1939Church. Energy, Illinois

1940s–1990snothing yet

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.

Add from your album

Today3 recent

2021Energy-water-tower-il

2021Energy-village-sign-il

2021Energy-Village-Hall-il

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewChurch. Energy, Illinois, 1939

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Energy’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Energy’s post office has been open since 1913. Another post office, Fordville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Fordville

1905–1913

Energy

1913–today

19001960today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

HerrinIts storyB

Questions about Energy’s history

What year was Energy founded?

The Energy post office opened in 1910, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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), the Library of Congress (1), 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) 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.

Post to Energy

Check your email