The Fox Lake post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1907. Another post office, English Prairie (1847), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 400 in 19102020 census: 10,978176 years
How historic is Fox Lake?
B−
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fox Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1907.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fox Lake’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fox Lake is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #419 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fox Lake’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 Fox Lake’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1907.
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 Fox Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village was incorporated on December 15, 1906, and certified by the state on April 13, 1907. The area was first explored during the 17th century by the French. In the late 19th century, it was known as Nippersink Point. Early in the 20th century, there were but a few hundred residents. During the summer season, however, the population would reach an estimated 20,000 people, and at its peak, the area had 50 hotels and 2,000 cottages. Infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone is reported to have utilized an establishment now known as the Mineola Hotel and Restaurant as a hideout, although this has never been documented. Fox Lake is known to still have ties to mob activity. In 1979, the Mineola was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and may be the largest wooden frame structure in the state.
Passages that mention Fox Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The past and present of Lake County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ... a biographical directory ... war record ... early settlers ... statistics ... history of Illinois ... the Northwest ... etc., etc ..1877 · page 292Read the page →
Read the text
The Roman Catholic Church have a church edifice in the northeastern part of this town, near Fox Lake, which was built about twelve years ago. TOWNSHIP OF LIBERTYYILLE. This, as a Congressional township, is known as Township 44, north Range 11 east.
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
Fox Lake, 1847 to 2020
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.
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 Fox Lake post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1907.
How does Fox Lake rank for history?
Fox Lake is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #419 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 Fox Lake?
One place: the Mineola Hotel (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Fox Lake?
11% of Fox Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (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), 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.
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