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History · Nason

Nason’s post office opened in 1923, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1930.

1923first post office
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Nason began

When was Nason founded?

1923

The Nason post office opened in 1923, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 261 in 19302020 census: 199103 years
Founding year: the first Nason post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Nason’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 Nason are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Nason’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Nason’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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The story so far

Nason, in brief

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

Nason is a city in Jefferson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 199 people as of the 2020 census, making it the least populous incorporated city in the state of Illinois. It is part of the Mount Vernon Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1923. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 236 to 199 (-16%).

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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On the map

Nason on the map, 1939 to 1998

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

Nason on the 1939 USGS mapNason on the 1943 USGS mapNason on the 1975 USGS mapNason on the 1998 USGS map1939Ina 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 Nason.

People over time

Nason, census by census

010020030019401960198020002020Peak: 272

Between 186 and 272 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Nason

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

See all →
C
Crista FlanaganAmerican actress · b. 1976
Adrienne MayorHistorian of folk science · b. 1946
William L. HungateAmerican politician · b. 1922
Ava CherryAmerican singer · b. 1953
Walt KirkAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1924
Albert Watson IIUnited States general · b. 1909

Questions about Nason’s history

What year was Nason founded?

The Nason post office opened in 1923, 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.