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History · Nauvoo

Nauvoo dates to 1630, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Nauvoo Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, and a historic district. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1840.

1630founded
2on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
9famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Nauvoo’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Nauvoo began

When was Nauvoo founded?

1630

Nauvoo dates its founding to 1630 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 2,450 in 18402020 census: 950396 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1830.The full story ↓

What stands out about Nauvoo’s past

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

Older than the countryEstablished in 1630, 146 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Nauvoo, and 1 old place names are still on the map.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Nauvoo Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1850–1862.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Nauvoo, 1630 to 1961

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1630
    FoundingNauvoo is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1830Post officeThe Venus post office opens
  5. 1834Post officeThe Venus post office closes
  6. 1834Post officeThe Commerce post office opens
  7. 1840Post officeThe Commerce post office closes
  8. 1840Post officeThe Nauvoo post office opens
  9. 1841Born hereIna Coolbrith is born here
  10. 1841Born hereJoseph C. Rich is born here
  11. 1844Born hereAnn Eliza Young is born here
  12. 1850In the archiveJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen
  13. 1860In the archiveHoward and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois home
  14. 20th century
  15. 1903Born hereEdwin T. Layton is born here
  16. 1936On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  17. 1961LandmarkNauvoo Historic District named a National Historic Landmark
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Nauvoo’s post office has been open since 1840. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Venus
1830–1834
Commerce
1834–1840
Nauvoo
1840–today
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Quashquema
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Nauvoo
DundeyNauvoo's OldSmith Family

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the National Register

2 historic places in Nauvoo

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Nauvoo Historic District
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Nauvoo Historic District
William J. Reimbold HouseNauvoo Historic District★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
★ Landmark
Nauvoo Historic DistrictGreek Revival
William J. Reimbold HouseBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Nauvoo came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nauvoo.

Read it all →

The area of Nauvoo was first called Quashquame, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Meskwaki settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges. By 1827, white settlers had built cabins in the area, and by 1830, it was sufficiently settled to warrant a post office, established on March 13 of that year. In 1832, the town, by then called Venus, was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. On October 11, 1834, the name Venus was changed to Commerce.

ChaptersNauvoo today

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Nauvoo, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s10 items
Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen1850Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christen…The Battle of Nauvoo by C.C.A. Christensen1850The Battle of Nauvoo by C.C.A. ChristensenMeyers Universum Band 15 291852Meyers Universum Band 15 29Nauvoe, Illinois1854Nauvoe, IllinoisNauvoo, from the Mississippi, looking down the river1854Nauvoo, from the Mississippi, looking down the riverNauvoo, Illinois1855Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo, Illinois1855Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo3b24766uc. 1855Nauvoo3b24766uZenock and Zeno in the 1858 Jas O Wright & Co edition of the Book of Mormon on page 2061858Zenock and Zeno in the 1858 Jas O Wright & Co edition…Nauvoo1859Schroder1859Nauvoo1859Schroder
1860s2 items
Howard and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois home1860Howard and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois homeLe Tour du monde-06-p3851862Le Tour du monde-06-p385
On the map

Nauvoo on the map, 1936 to 1985

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

Nauvoo on the 1936 USGS mapNauvoo on the 1985 USGS map1936Fort Madison 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 Nauvoo.

Every building

Nauvoo, building by building, 1893–1912

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.

Nauvoo fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen
Retake this viewJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen, 1850

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Nauvoo’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Nauvoo, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,450

Between 950 and 2,450 people in every census since 1840.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

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

Famous people

9 famous people were born in Nauvoo

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

See all →
Ina CoolbrithAmerican poet, writer, and librarian · b. 1841
Edwin T. LaytonU.S. Navy Rear Admiral, noted for intelligence … · b. 1903
Ann Eliza YoungEarly Mormon · b. 1844
J
Joseph C. RichAmerican politician in Idaho · b. 1841
David Hyrum SmithAmerican RLDS Church leader · b. 1844
Jesse KnightAmerican businessman · b. 1845
Help out

Finish Nauvoo’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Nauvoo Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAppanoose Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSonora TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Nauvoo’s history

What year was Nauvoo founded?

In 1630, according to Wikidata. Nauvoo’s post office opened in 1830, and the census of 1840 counted 2,450 people here.

What is on the National Register in Nauvoo?

Two places: the Nauvoo Historic District (listed 1966) and the William J. Reimbold House (1987).

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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.