Galena’s post office opened in 1826, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #5 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Ulysses S. Grant House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 1,000 buildings. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Ulysses S. Grant House, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 1,000 buildings. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: the first Galena post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Galena’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Galena is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #5 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Galena’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 Galena’s 3,425 sits above most of its state (100% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1,004 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.0 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 Galena’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
The city is named for galena, the natural form of lead sulfide (PbS) and the most important lead ore. Native Americans mined the ore for use in burial rituals. The Havana Hopewell first traded galena in the area during the Middle Woodland period (c. 1–400 CE). However, the use of galena in the Havana territory is uncertain; very little has been identified in burial mounds. During the Mississippian period (900–1500 CE), galena saw use as body paint.
Passages that mention Galena, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... Con1878 · page 331Read the page →
Read the text
business, without regard to the improvements made thereon, and previous to the public sale of the said lots, any person, or the Legal Representative of any person who had, previous to the date of that Act, obtained from the agent of the United States a permit to occupy any lot or lots in the Town of Galena, or who had previous to that date actually occupied and improved any lot or lots within the Town or within the limits of the tract so to be laid off, was permitted to purchase such lot or lots by paying therefor in cash if in the 1st class at the rate of $25 per acre; if in the 2d at $15 per acre; and if in the 3d at $10 per acre; provided, that no one person should be permitted to purchase by the authority of that section
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... Con1878 · page 487Read the page →
Read the text
November 8, 1836, the first fire company of Galena was organized with a roll of sixty-six members, many of whom have since been prominent in Galena's history. This company was called the "Galena Fire Association No. 1." At the next meeting recorded, the Association is termed the " Cataract Engine Co. No. 1." Meetings were held on the first Saturday of each month, the Secretary being Geo. W. Mitchell. At a meeting held at the Engine house on Bench Street, on February 4, 1837, a committee was appointed to act with a similar committee from " Neptune Fire Co. No. 2,"
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
Galena, 1826 to 1980
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Galena. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1911Galena 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 Galena.
Every building
Galena, building by building, 1885–1912
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.
The Galena post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Galena rank for history?
Galena is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #5 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 Galena?
5 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Ulysses S. Grant House (a National Historic Landmark since 1960), and 1 historic district, the Galena Historic District, with 1,000 contributing buildings. 1,004 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Galena?
46% of Galena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1945.
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 the Library of Congress (20), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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