The story
Read it all →How Maryville came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Maryville.
Coal mining was historically the principal industry in Maryville. Maryville was incorporated on July 21, 1902.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
DHistory
History · Maryville
Maryville dates to 1902
More historic than 10% of U.S. towns · #726 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Maryville was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: maps from 1907 on and the census since 1910.
1902founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Quick answers
How Maryville began
When was Maryville founded?
1902
Maryville dates its founding to 1902 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.
First census: 729 in 19102020 census: 8,221124 years
How historic is Maryville?
D
What drives the grade ↓More historic than 10% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1903.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Maryville’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Maryville is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #726 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Maryville’s overall grade.
Founding era1902, from Wikipedia: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19403.4% of homes (±3.4) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 10%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 5%
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 Maryville’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 points). Two sources give 1902.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Maryville’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 Maryville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1920 and 1940, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 19076 editions of the USGS map, 1907 to 1991. Watch Maryville change.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Maryville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Maryville’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Maryville, census by census
Lost a third of its people between 1920 and 1940, then grew more than tenfold.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Maryville’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Maryville on the map, 1907 to 1991
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Maryville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Belleville sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Maryville.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Maryville in 1912
Passages that mention Maryville, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People1912 · page 749Read the page →
Read the text
tained in his own name the old homestead of one hundred and sixteen acres. In October, 1900, he platted and laid out the village of Maryville in Collinsville township, giving it its name in honor of his wife, whose maiden name was Mary Krome. The growth of the town has been truly remarkable, for at the time it was laid out there was nothing but farm
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 19121912Read the page →
Read the text
Maryville Maryville in Collinsville township is another flourishing coal mining centre. It is located on the Illinois Central railroad. Mine No. 2 of the Bonk Bros. C. and C. Co. is located here.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People1912 · page 1075Read the page →
Read the text
gomery county, Illinois, where he was mine examiner, and* he also served on the school board and as a village trustee. Landing at Maryville in July, 1900, he has since made his home here. He came here as night boss of a force of men, subsequently became assist¬ ant manager of the Maryville mine, a position he filled until he resigned, and since then he
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
Maryville, 1902 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 20th century
- 1902FoundingMaryville is established
- 1903Post officeThe Maryville post office opens
- 1907
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1908
Born hereBob Boken is born here - 1983Born hereJustin Fletcher is born here
- 1996
Born hereSeth Beer is born here - 21st century
- 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 8,221
By decade
Maryville, decade by decade
2024
2009Famous people
See all →3 famous people were born in Maryville
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Places that used to be
Old corners and burying grounds
Maryville’s post office has been open since 1903.
Hamlets and corners on the map
ChinatownPleasant Ridge
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Maryville
FairlandKromeOld Saint JohnsSaint John Lutheran
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Maryville’s history
What year was Maryville founded?
In 1902, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Maryville’s post office opened in 1903, and the census of 1910 counted 729 people here.
How does Maryville rank for history?
Maryville is more historic than 10% of U.S. towns, #726 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.
How old are the homes in Maryville?
3% of Maryville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1997.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (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 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.