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History · Marley

Marley’s post office opened in 1880, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1890 on.

1880first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Marley began

When was Marley founded?

1880

The Marley post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 128146 years
Founding year: the first Marley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Marley’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 Marley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18907 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1993. Watch Marley change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Marley’s collection

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

Marley on the map, 1890 to 1993

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

Marley on the 1890 USGS mapMarley on the 1900 USGS mapMarley on the 1929 USGS mapMarley on the 1953 USGS mapMarley on the 1963 USGS mapMarley on the 1973 USGS mapMarley on the 1993 USGS map1890Des Plaines 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 Marley.

The story so far

Marley, in brief

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

Marley is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Will County, Illinois, United States. It is in the northern part of the county, between Homer Glen to the north and Mokena to the south. Marley is bordered to the south by Interstate 80, but with no direct access. U.S. Route 6 (Southwest Highway) passes just north of Marley, leading west-southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Joliet and northeast 6 miles (10 km) to Orland Park. Marley was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. As of the 2020 census, Marley had a population of 128.

Its first post office opened in 1880.

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.

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Questions about Marley’s history

What year was Marley founded?

The Marley post office opened in 1880, 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.