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A−History
History · Lockport

Lockport’s post office opened in 1837, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns · #139 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

5 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Illinois and Michigan Canal, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district with 68 buildings. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1870.

1837first post office
5on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lockport’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lockport began

When was Lockport founded?

1837

The Lockport post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1853.

First census: 1,772 in 18702020 census: 26,094189 years

How historic is Lockport?

A−

More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Lockport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1853.
History grade

What drives Lockport’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lockport is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #139 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lockport’s overall grade.
Founding era1837, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194012.1% of homes (±2.2) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register5 listings, 75 historic buildings, 28.4 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 84%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 82%

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 Lockport’s 28.4 sits above most of its state (89% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% 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 (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1853.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Lockport’s past

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

On the map since 18926 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1993. Watch Lockport change.A historic districtThe Lockport Historic District takes in 68 historic buildings.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1898–1908.A National Historic Landmark5 places on the National Register, including Illinois and Michigan Canal, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · On the map

Lockport on the map, 1892 to 1993

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

Lockport on the 1892 USGS mapLockport on the 1923 USGS mapLockport on the 1954 USGS mapLockport on the 1962 USGS mapLockport on the 1973 USGS mapLockport on the 1993 USGS map1892Joliet 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 Lockport.

On the National Register

5 listings protect 75 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmark
1
Illinois and Michigan Canal
historic buildings protected
75
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Illinois and Michigan Canal
Will County Historical Society HeadquartersLockport Historic DistrictRobert Milne HouseJohn Heck HouseIllinois and Michigan Canal★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Federal1
Italianate1
★ Landmark
Illinois and Michigan CanalStructure
Will County Historical Society HeadquartersGreek Revival
Lockport Historic DistrictDistrict
Robert Milne HouseFederal
John Heck HouseGreek Revival

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

By decade

Lockport, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s18 items
Chicago drainage canal & controlling works1898Chicago drainage canal & controlling worksChicago drainage canal and controlling works1898Chicago drainage canal and controlling worksChicago Drainage Canal1900Chicago Drainage CanalOld canal boats at Lockport, Ill's1900Old canal boats at Lockport, Ill'sPower house, Chicago Drainage Canal1900Power house, Chicago Drainage CanalWater tower, Dellwood1907Water tower, DellwoodHigh school building1907High school buildingDancing pavillion, Dellwood Park1907Dancing pavillion, Dellwood ParkCongregational Church and parsonage1907Congregational Church and parsonageState St., looking north1907State St., looking northWater-tower at night, Dellwood1907Water-tower at night, DellwoodLocks, Sec. 2, drainage canal1907Locks, Sec. 2, drainage canalGrand stand, ball park, Dellwood1907Grand stand, ball park, DellwoodA bit of scenery, Dellwood Park1907A bit of scenery, Dellwood ParkBoat house and lower basin, Dellwood1907Boat house and lower basin, DellwoodFoot bridge, lower basin, Dellwood Park1907Foot bridge, lower basin, Dellwood ParkEast bridge, upper basin, Dellwood Park1907East bridge, upper basin, Dellwood ParkThe Great locks, Chicago Drainage Canal1908The Great locks, Chicago Drainage Canal
1910s–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
The story so far

Lockport, in brief

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

Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, and was the headquarters of the canal when the canal was operating. A section of the canal runs through Lockport, including the remains of the canal's Lock No. 1 from which the town received its name. The canal right-of-way is now the Illinois and Michigan National Heritage Corridor.

Its first post office opened in 1837. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 24,839 to 26,094 (+5%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Lockport in 1878

Passages that mention Lockport, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Runyon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Runyontown, but now called Runyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that buil…
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ... a directory of its real estate owners1878 · page 433Read the page →
Read the text

Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Runyon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Runyontown, but now called Runyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that built the stone mill. At one time this was the most flourishing part of Lockport, but both it and Runyontown have been merged into the village proper.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Runyon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Ilunyontown, but now called Ilunyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that bu…
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ..1878 · page 433Read the page →
Read the text

Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Runyon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Ilunyontown, but now called Ilunyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that built the stone mill. At one time this was the most flourishing part of Lockport, but both it and Runyotitown have been merged into the village proper.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the original organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said t…
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ... a directory of its real estate owners1878 · page 259Read the page →
Read the text

nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the original organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said that Butterfield built the first house in the present township (of Lockport), and that a Mr. Everden built the first house on the town plat in 1831, little dreaming that he was beginning to found a city. It is also said that Armstead Runyon bought his claim, on which he laid out, in 1836, the town plat now known

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the orijxinal organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said …
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ..1878 · page 259Read the page →
Read the text

nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the orijxinal organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said that Butterfield built the first house in the present township (of Lockport), and that a Mr. Everden built the first house on the town plat in 1831, little dreaming that he was beginning to found a city. It is also said that Armstead Runyon bought his claim, on which he laid out, in 1836, the town plat now known

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

Lockport, 1837 to 1993

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe Lockport post office opens
  3. 1876Born hereJohn Warner Norton is born here
  4. 1887Born hereMerritt Giffin is born here
  5. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1898In the archiveChicago drainage canal & controlling works
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900In the archiveChicago Drainage Canal
  9. 1964LandmarkIllinois and Michigan Canal named a National Historic Landmark
  10. 1986Born hereSamantha Findlay is born here
  11. 1993Born hereRichaun Holmes is born here
Every building

Lockport, building by building, 1886–1909

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.

Lockport fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

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.

Chicago drainage canal & controlling works
Retake this viewChicago drainage canal & controlling works, 1898

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lockport, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,0001880190019201940196019802000202026,094

Grew from 1,772 people in 1870 to 26,094 in 2020, more than tenfold.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Lockport

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Richaun HolmesAmerican basketball player · b. 1993
Merritt GiffinAmerican discus thrower · b. 1887
J
John Warner NortonAmerican artist · b. 1876
Samantha FindlayAmerican softball player and coach · b. 1986
Tom HallerAmerican baseball player and coach · b. 1937
H
Haley AugelloAmerican wrestler · b. 1994
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Lockport’s post office has been open since 1837.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Basham Carriage Manor EstatesBroken ArrowColonial AcresDeer RunLockport HeightsThe Fields
Gone or out of use
Barnet SchoolschoolSchool Number 92school
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lockport
CalvaryLockportRunyonSaint Dennis

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

Help out

Finish Lockport’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.
Retake an old viewChicago drainage canal & controlling wo…: 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.

Bonnie BraeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFairmontIts storyC+Homer Glen1 historic placeC−Lockport HeightsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lockport’s history

What year was Lockport founded?

The Lockport post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1853.

How does Lockport rank for history?

Lockport is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #139 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 Lockport?

5 listings: 3 buildings, 1 historic district, the Lockport Historic District, with 68 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 75 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Lockport?

12% of Lockport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1998.

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 (1), the Library of Congress (17), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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, 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.