Monticello dates to 1829, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #83 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 188 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Monticello’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monticello is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #83 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 Monticello’s overall grade.
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 Monticello’s 298 sits above most of its state (97% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 188 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.7 points). Two sources give 1829.
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 Monticello’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Monticello, building by building, 1887–1915
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.
Monticello's first non-native resident was George Hayworth. Hayworth came to the area in 1822 to serve as a U.S. liaison agent to local Native American tribes. Hayworth did not remain, but in 1829, James A. Piatt purchased Hayworth's small log cabin. Soon more settlers arrived.
In 1837, residents decided to form a new town. Abraham Marquiss, William Barnes, James McReynolds, and James A. Piatt Jr. formed a joint stock company and purchased land from James A. Piatt. Upon McReynolds' suggestion, the town was christened Monticello – after the home of Thomas Jefferson. Monticello officially became a town on July 1, 1837. Townsfolk held a celebration on July 4.
.V/v/V'/i of fin' Presbyterian Church of Monticello* as reported />;/ Rev. Onnxby. — The Presbyterian church of Monticello was organized °JL Saturday, October 27, 1842, by Rev. Joseph Adams, then preaching to the church of Ashmore, Coles county. But previous to that time there had been occasional Presbyterian preaching, and Rev. William Ilutchinson, a Cumberland Presltyterian of Champaign county, Imd preached statedly as often as once a month for perhaps a year. So far as I have been able to ascertain, lie was the first Presbyterian minister
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Monticello has two cemetries, the old one which joins the west side of the city, and the new one which is situated over a mile north of Monticello. Not a city of its size in central Illinois can boast of nicer and neater residences than some in Monticello. The Churches* — There was preaching in Piatt county a number of years before there was any organized church, and this preaching was done by ministers of various denominations. After a time there were some resident ministers in the county, among whom we can mention
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.
By decade
Monticello, decade by decade
2 decades in the archive, from the 1920s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
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.
In 1829, according to Wikidata. Monticello’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1850 counted 163 people here.
How does Monticello rank for history?
Monticello is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #83 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 Monticello?
Three places: the North State Street Historic District (listed 1998), the South Charter Street Historic District (2002) and the Monticello Courthouse Square Historic District (2009).
How old are the homes in Monticello?
15% of Monticello’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, 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.
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