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A−History
History · Flora

Flora’s post office opened in 1855, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #201 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Shriver House, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Depot and the Pearl and Bess Meyer House. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1860.

1855first post office
3on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Flora’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Flora began

When was Flora founded?

1855

The Flora post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 456 in 18602020 census: 4,803171 years

How historic is Flora?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Flora post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Flora’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Flora is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #201 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Flora’s overall grade.
Founding era1855, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194030.2% of homes (±8.9) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register3 listings, 5 historic buildings, 11.2 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 74%

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 Flora’s 11.2 sits above most of its state (84% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.9 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 Flora’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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1912, drew every building in Flora.Old housesHalf of Flora’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Flora’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Flora, building by building, 1894–1912

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.

Flora fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 11894Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Flora came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Flora.

Read it all →

Flora was founded by Samuel White. White was born September 10, 1831, in Warren County, Ohio. He and his family came to Clay County in 1852. During that time, he purchased 85 acres (34 ha) of land from the State of Illinois. His first wife, Sarah Ann Wall was born in 1833. Sarah died December 13, 1859, in Flora, and is buried in the family plot in Elmwood Cemetery. In December 1860, White married Helen M. Riggs in Flora.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Flora, 1855 to 1969

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855Post officeThe Flora post office opens
  3. 1880In the archive1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Clay County - Flora - ED 13-5, ED 13-6…
  4. 1889Born hereVictoria Joyce Ely is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1948On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1969Born hereMad Man Pondo is born here
By decade

Flora, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1880s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s2 items
1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Clay County - Flora - ED 13-5, ED 13-6, ED 13-718801940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Cl…1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois (IL) - Clay County - Flora - ED 13-6 to 1218801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois (IL)…
1890s–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
Today6 recent
South on Main at Third in2012South on Main at Third inShriver House in2012Shriver House inPearl and Bess Meyer House in2012Pearl and Bess Meyer House inOld B&O depot in2012Old B&O depot inNorth Avenue in downtown2012North Avenue in downtown222 N. Locust in2012222 N. Locust in
On the map

Flora on the map, 1948 to 1970

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

Flora on the 1948 USGS mapFlora on the 1970 USGS map1948Flora 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 Flora.

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.

1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Clay County - Flora - ED 13-5, ED 13-6, ED 13-7
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Clay County - Flora - ED 13-5, ED 13-6, ED 13-7, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Flora

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
Shriver House
Shriver HouseBaltimore and Ohio Railroad DepotPearl and Bess Meyer House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne2
American Movements1
Shriver HouseQueen Anne
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad DepotAmerican Movements
Pearl and Bess Meyer HouseQueen Anne

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Flora, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,000190019502000Peak: 5,474

Between 456 and 5,474 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Flora

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mad Man PondoAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1969
V
Victoria Joyce ElyAmerican nurse · b. 1889
Kendal SacchieriAmerican politician

Questions about Flora’s history

What year was Flora founded?

The Flora post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Flora rank for history?

Flora is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #201 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 Flora?

Three places: the Shriver House (listed 1983), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Depot (1998) and the Pearl and Bess Meyer House (2001).

How old are the homes in Flora?

30% of Flora’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1958.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.