Most of Hampton was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Its Register listing is the Black's Store. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hampton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hampton is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hampton’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 Hampton’s 5.2 sits above most of its state (76% 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 B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). Two sources give 1834.
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 Hampton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village was originally in territory claimed by the Sauk and Meskwaki Native Americans, and several Woodland era Native mounds are located in the village limits, and in the adjacent Illiniwek Forest Preserve. The village in 1834 was platted as "Milan" (not the village 13 miles south-southwest in Illinois—see Milan, Illinois for more). The "paper town" did not sell initially because of the swampy riverfront, and being adjacent to the north end of the Rock Island Rapids. However, settlers drained the swamps by the end of the 19th century, and the village was founded by 1900 as Hampton— the original name of Milan, Illinois. Black's Store, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was the first mercantile store to open in Northwest Illinois.
Passages that mention Hampton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Hampton Court Palace ..1885 · page 353Read the page →
Read the text
Soon after the unrestricted opening of Hampton Court to the public, namely, in 1841, a question arose as to the liability of the inhabitants of private apartments, by grace and favour of the Crown, to contribute to the rates in relief of the poor of Hampton, in which parish the Palace is situated. Formerly, as long as Hampton Court was a royal residence in the actual occupation of the Sovereign, there could have been no doubt that entire immunity from rateability was conferred
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Hampton Court Palace ..1885 · page 341Read the page →
Read the text
In the last year of the reign of George IV. the use of the Great Hall was granted by his Majesty to the inhabitants of Hampton for divine service, while their parish church was being rebuilt, until September, 1831, when the new church was consecrated in the presence of Queen Adelaide.
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
Hampton, 1834 to 1980
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1834, according to Wikidata. Hampton’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1880 counted 576 people here.
How does Hampton rank for history?
Hampton is more historic than 68% of U.S. towns. 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 Hampton?
One place: the Black's Store (listed 1976).
How old are the homes in Hampton?
9% of Hampton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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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