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AHistory
History · Lena

Lena dates to 1834, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #91 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Lena Water Tower and the Jensen, Chris, Round Barn. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1870.

1834founded
2on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lena’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lena began

When was Lena founded?

1834

Lena dates its founding to 1834 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 1,294 in 18702020 census: 2,772192 years

How historic is Lena?

A

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lena’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lena is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #91 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lena’s overall grade.
Founding era1834, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194028.3% of homes (±7.9) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 7.2 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 89%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 88%

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 Lena’s 7.2 sits above most of its state (80% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.9 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 Lena’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Lena.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1912, drew every building in Lena.Deep rootsEstablished in 1834: 192 years of Lena.Mystery photos5 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Lena’s post office has been open since 1853. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alida
1849–1853
Lena
1853–today
Terre Haute
1853–1853
18401930today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lena
Lena Burial ParkLena

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Every building

Lena, building by building, 1893–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Lena fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Lena, 1834 to 1942

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1834
    FoundingLena is established
  3. 1849Post officeThe Alida post office opens
  4. 1852Born hereCharles N. Fowler is born here
  5. 1853Post officeThe Alida post office closes
  6. 1853Post officeThe Lena post office opens
  7. 1853Post officeThe Terre Haute post office opens
  8. 1853Post officeThe Terre Haute post office closes
  9. 20th century
  10. 1933In the archiveCORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon House
  11. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Lena came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lena.

Read it all →

In 1853, a railroad survey by Benjamin Dornblazer determined a course through present-day Lena. Samuel F. Dodds, who owned 80 acres (320,000 m2) of land in the area, purchased an additional tract of 80 acres (320,000 m2) on behalf of the railroad company and grading work was begun. Dodds owned a stone residence which still occupies Lot No. 1 on Lena Street, while Dr. F. Voightheld owned a log home (which has subsequently been demolished) near the train depot. At the time, these two buildings made up the extent of the town.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Lena, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s5 items
CORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon House1933CORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon HouseCORNICE, GABLE DORMER - Stone Octagon House1933CORNICE, GABLE DORMER - Stone Octagon HouseEAST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon House1933EAST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon HouseEAST ELEVATION WITH CHIMNEY AND GABLE DORMER - Stone Octagon House1933EAST ELEVATION WITH CHIMNEY AND GABLE DORMER - Stone …FOUR PANED WINDOW, EAST SIDE - Stone Octagon House1933FOUR PANED WINDOW, EAST SIDE - Stone Octagon House
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown5 to date
NORTHWEST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon HouseDate?NORTHWEST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon HouseNORTHWEST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon HouseDate?NORTHWEST ELEVATION - Stone Octagon HouseStone Octagon HouseDate?Stone Octagon HouseStone Octagon HouseDate?Stone Octagon HouseStone Octagon HouseDate?Stone Octagon House
Today5 recent
We are in the corn country2007We are in the corn countryLena Il Lena PD SUV12007Lena Il Lena PD SUV1Lena Il Butcher shop12007Lena Il Butcher shop1Go West on the Oregon trail2007Go West on the Oregon trailILMap-doton-Lena2005ILMap-doton-Lena
On the map

Lena on the map, 1942 to 1971

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

Lena on the 1942 USGS mapLena on the 1971 USGS map1942Lena 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 Lena.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

CORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon House
Retake this viewCORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon House, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lena’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Lena

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Jensen, Chris, Round Barn
Lena Water TowerJensen, Chris, Round Barn
BuildingsStructures

Architectural styles listings

Water tower1
Lena Water TowerWater tower
All 2 listings
Jensen, Chris, Round BarnBuilding · listed 1984

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Lena, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,912

Between 1,145 and 2,912 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lena’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Lena’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo5 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCORNICE, DETAIL - Stone Octagon House: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Erin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKent Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lena’s history

What year was Lena founded?

In 1834, according to Wikidata. Lena’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1870 counted 1,294 people here.

How does Lena rank for history?

Lena is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #91 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 Lena?

Two places: the Lena Water Tower (listed 1997) and the Jensen, Chris, Round Barn (1984).

How old are the homes in Lena?

28% of Lena’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1971.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.