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History · Jamaica Township

66% of Jamaica Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on.

0on the National Register
66%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Jamaica Township’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 Jamaica Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Jamaica Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jamaica Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jamaica Township’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
The story

How Jamaica Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jamaica Township.

Read it all →

Like so many other small towns in the late 19th century, Jamaica developed because of the railroads. When the C&EI railroad came through the township, Jamaica thrived. However, when the Fairmount quarries closed, the town began to dwindle. It is now a small unincorporated area. School consolidation led to the new school being built near the town to replace the older Fairmount, Indianola, and Sidell high schools, and it was called Jamaica High School.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Jamaica Township on the map, 1956 to 1998

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

Jamaica Township on the 1956 USGS mapJamaica Township on the 1982 USGS mapJamaica Township on the 1998 USGS map1956Newman 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 Jamaica Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Jamaica Township

Nobody well known was born in Jamaica Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Bonner FellersUnited States Army general · b. 1896
L
Lee MiglinAmerican real estate developer · b. 1924
William P. HoladayUnited States politician · b. 1882
C
Chris WadeAmerican mixed martial arts fighter · b. 1987
B
Bert GrahamBaseball player · b. 1886
Donald E. RunyonAmerican World War II flying ace · b. 1913
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Jamaica
Gone or out of use
Green SchoolschoolLiberty SchoolschoolMaddox Airportairport

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Sidell TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCarroll TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townVance TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCatlin TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Jamaica Township’s history

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.