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History · Gifford

Gifford’s post office opened in 1876, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1880.

1876first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Gifford began

When was Gifford founded?

1876

The Gifford post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 124 in 18802020 census: 911150 years
Founding year: the first Gifford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Gifford’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Gifford are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19244 editions of the USGS map, 1924 to 1984. Watch Gifford change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Gifford’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Gifford on the map, 1924 to 1984

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

Gifford on the 1924 USGS mapGifford on the 1949 USGS mapGifford on the 1957 USGS mapGifford on the 1984 USGS map1924Paxton 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 Gifford.

The story

How Gifford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Gifford.

Read it all →

Gifford was laid out in 1876 and named for Benjamin F. Gifford. Along with nearby Penfield, the town had a station on the now-defunct Illinois Central Railroad. On August 9, 1894, a fire originating from the barbershop and billiard hall engulfed the entirety of the business district as well as the grain elevator, destroying both completely.

Gifford was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on November 17, 2013. The tornado struck shortly before 1:00 PM, destroying more than 20 homes and damaging 200 others. It took a diagonal path through the center of the village, and nobody was seriously injured.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Gifford, 1876 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876Post officeThe Gifford post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1973Born hereMike Frerichs is born here
By decade

Gifford, decade by decade

Today17 recent
Welcome to Gifford sign2021Welcome to Gifford signGifford, Illinois Veterans Memorial2021Gifford, Illinois Veterans MemorialGifford, Illinois Main Street2021Gifford, Illinois Main StreetGifford, IL, grain elevator2021Gifford, IL, grain elevatorGifford, IL, Nelle Harper Pavilion2021Gifford, IL, Nelle Harper PavilionGifford, IL, Emord Memorial Park2021Gifford, IL, Emord Memorial ParkGifford, IL water tower2021Gifford, IL water towerGifford, IL water tower side2021Gifford, IL water tower sideGifford, IL silo and grain elevator2021Gifford, IL silo and grain elevatorGifford, IL Post Office2021Gifford, IL Post OfficeGifford, IL Main Street northwest2021Gifford, IL Main Street northwestGifford, IL Fire Prevention District2021Gifford, IL Fire Prevention DistrictGifford United Methodist Church2021Gifford United Methodist ChurchGifford State Bank2021Gifford State BankGifford State Bank drive-thru2021Gifford State Bank drive-thruGifford Grade School southeast2021Gifford Grade School southeastEmord Memorial Park front2021Emord Memorial Park front
People over time

Gifford, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 975

Between 124 and 975 people in every census since 1880.

8 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Questions about Gifford’s history

What year was Gifford founded?

The Gifford post office opened in 1876, 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 (17), 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.