Glen Ellyn dates to 1834, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #107 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 55 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1908 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1852.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glen Ellyn’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glen Ellyn is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #107 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glen Ellyn’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 Glen Ellyn’s 20.4 sits above most of its state (87% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 58 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1834.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Glen Ellyn’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Glen Ellyn, like the neighboring town to the east, Lombard, had its genesis in an 1833 claim by two brothers from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Morgan and Ralph Babcock. The two claimed property in a large stand of timber near present-day St. Charles Road and the East Branch of the DuPage River. The brothers also arranged for a claim for their New York neighbor Deacon Winslow Churchill, who arrived in 1834 along with some of his adult children and their families. The nascent settlement became known as Babcock's Grove, and it included property currently part of both Glen Ellyn and Lombard.
Passages that mention Glen Ellyn, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The story of an old town--Glen Ellyn1928 · page 123Read the page →
Read the text
New Chicago, Aurora and Elgin Electric railroad station built, the most beautiful one on the line, its beauty being due to the Glen Ellyn Plan Commission which urged the company to discard its commonplace plan for one more in keeping with the contemplated development of the village of Glen Ellyn. The village is grateful to the authorities of the electric road for co-operating so effectively. John Archibald Armstrong was the architect.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The story of an old town--Glen Ellyn1928 · page 76Read the page →
Read the text
Glen Ellyn Hotel and Spring Company, organized by Messrs, Baker, Riford and Goodridge, acquired title to 116 acres of land within the village of Glen Ellyn. The park was given to the village by the company.
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
Glen Ellyn, 1834 to 1986
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.
In 1834, according to Wikidata. Glen Ellyn’s post office opened in 1852, and the census of 1890 counted 473 people here.
How does Glen Ellyn rank for history?
Glen Ellyn is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #107 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 Glen Ellyn?
7 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Stacy's Tavern (listed 1974, the first), and 4 historic districts with 55 contributing buildings. 58 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Glen Ellyn?
16% of Glen Ellyn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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.
2006
2005
2004
2004
