Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 1880.
The Henderson post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henderson’s history is told.
Peaked at 369 in 1980; 266 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Henderson’s Wikipedia page.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyWikipedia doesn’t have a history of Henderson yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Henderson is a village in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The population was 266 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Galesburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1837. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 255 to 266 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Henderson, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Sec. 2. The county seat of said county of Henderson shall be, and is hereby permanently located at the town of Oquawka, in said county of Henderson ; provided^ the proprietors of said town of Oquawka shall donate and convey to the count}'' commissioners of Henderson county, (for the time being) for the use and benefit of said county in fee simple not less than two hundred of the average of the unsold or unimproved lots, in said town of Oquawka, the proceeds of the sale of said town lots, or so much thereof as may be required, shall be appropriated
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
of Henderson connty, about Dallas, besides a few men who were scattered through other companies. The regiment left Quincr for Louisvnlle September 20, 934 strong. October 5 it was ordered to Shepardsville to guard the railroad bridge across the Rolling Fork, and on the 14tli was stationed on the Lebanon branch railroad, for its protection. Remaining there till January, it ascended the Cumberland river to xsashville, and joined Rosecrans' army at Franklin, whence it moved forward on the Tullahoma campaign as far as Shelby-
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Henderson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Henderson.
The Henderson post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), 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.
2011