Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Morrisonville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Morrisonville

Morrisonville’s post office opened in 1870, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper.

1870first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Morrisonville began

When was Morrisonville founded?

1870

The Morrisonville post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 997156 years
Founding year: the first Morrisonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Morrisonville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Morrisonville’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Morrisonville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Morrisonville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Morrisonville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Morrisonville.

Read it all →

Morrisonville is a small, rural town in Central Illinois. It is located 45 miles (72 km) south of the state's capital, Springfield. Morrisonville has a rich history dating back to a time when it was used as a hunting ground for Native American Indians.

Before settlers established a town, four Indian tribes lived on Morrisonville's land, the Sac, Fox, Pottawatomie, and Kickapoo. They competed with each other for buffalo, elk, and deer. Morrisonville was also part of the Black Hawk hunting ground.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Morrisonville, 1870 to 1912

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870Post officeThe Morrisonville post office opens
  3. 1893Born hereEdward A. Hayes is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1912Born hereAl Unser is born here
By decade

Morrisonville, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Beck, William. H., April 13, 1903 (Agent, Morrisonville, Illinois) [ANS Chapman brothers business correspondence]Date?Beck, William. H., April 13, 1903 (Agent, Morrisonvil…Book
Today1 recent
Morrisonville 20162016Morrisonville 2016
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Morrisonville

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

See all →
A
Al UnserBaseball player · b. 1912
E
Edward A. HayesNational Commander of the American Legion, 1933… · b. 1893
J
James L. MorisonAmerican football coach

Questions about Morrisonville’s history

What year was Morrisonville founded?

The Morrisonville post office opened in 1870, 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 →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.