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History · Malden

Malden’s post office opened in 1857, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.

1857first post office
0on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Malden began

When was Malden founded?

1857

The Malden post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 359 in 18802020 census: 318169 years
Founding year: the first Malden post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Malden’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 Malden are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18934 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1966. Watch Malden change.Old housesHalf of Malden’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Malden’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Malden’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
On the map

Malden on the map, 1893 to 1966

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

Malden on the 1893 USGS mapMalden on the 1909 USGS mapMalden on the 1911 USGS mapMalden on the 1966 USGS map1893Hennepin 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 Malden.

The story so far

Malden, in brief

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

Malden is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Malden had a population of 318. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1857. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 362 to 318 (-12%).

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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People over time

Malden, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 370

Between 217 and 370 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Malden

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

See all →
B
Billy GarrettRacecar driver · b. 1933
V
Virgil FoxAmerican musician · b. 1912
Kathryn HaysAmerican actress · b. 1933
Billy PapkeAmerican boxer · b. 1886
C
Charles Torrey SimpsonAmerican botanist, malacologist, and conservati… · b. 1846
J
Josh TaylorAmerican actor · b. 1943

Questions about Malden’s history

What year was Malden founded?

The Malden post office opened in 1857, 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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.