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History · LaPlace

LaPlace’s post office opened in 1874, and 42% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1955 on.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
42%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How LaPlace began

When was LaPlace founded?

1874

The LaPlace post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 239152 years
Founding year: the first LaPlace post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about LaPlace’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 LaPlace are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of LaPlace’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start LaPlace’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

LaPlace, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of LaPlace yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

La Place is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Cerro Gordo Township, Piatt County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 259.

Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 259 to 239 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

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

LaPlace on the map, 1955 to 1999

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

LaPlace on the 1955 USGS mapLaPlace on the 1983 USGS mapLaPlace on the 1999 USGS map1955Bement 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 LaPlace.

Famous people

Famous people close to LaPlace

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

See all →
Alison KraussAmerican musician · b. 1971
I
Ivan FuquaTrack and field athlete from America · b. 1909
Nan MartinAmerican actress · b. 1927
Helen FergusonAmerican actress · b. 1900
Henry GleasonAmerican ecologist · b. 1882
Wesley Livsey JonesAmerican politician · b. 1863

Questions about LaPlace’s history

What year was LaPlace founded?

The LaPlace post office opened in 1874, 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 →
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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.