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Illinois Route 37 at New Grand ChainPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · New Grand Chain

New Grand Chain’s post office opened in 1874, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1880.

1874first post office
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

How New Grand Chain began

When was New Grand Chain founded?

1874

The New Grand Chain post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Grand Chain (1860), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 88 in 18802020 census: 150152 years
Founding year: the first New Grand Chain post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about New Grand Chain’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 New Grand Chain are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 490 in 1910; 150 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of New Grand Chain’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New Grand Chain’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New Grand Chain’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

New Grand Chain, census by census

010020030040050018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 490

Peaked at 490 in 1910; 150 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

New Grand Chain, in brief

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

Grand Chain is a village in Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, New Grand Chain had a population of 150. The village's official name changed from "Grand Chain" to "New Grand Chain" in the 1970s, but its residents continue to refer to it as "Grand Chain."

Its first post office opened in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 210 to 150 (-29%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

New Grand Chain, 1841 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1841Born hereLaura J. Rittenhouse is born here
  3. 1860Post officeThe Grand Chain post office opens
  4. 1874Post officeThe New Grand Chain post office opens
  5. 1875Post officeThe Grand Chain post office closes
  6. 1894Born hereGeorge W. Bristow is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902Post officeThe New Grand Chain post office closes
  9. 1902Post officeThe Grand Chain post office opens
  10. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 490
  11. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

New Grand Chain, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Illinois Route 37 at2013Illinois Route 37 at
On the map

New Grand Chain on the map, 1966 to 1984

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

New Grand Chain on the 1966 USGS mapNew Grand Chain on the 1984 USGS map1966Cypress sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of New Grand Chain.

Famous people

2 famous people were born in New Grand Chain

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

See all →
Laura J. RittenhouseAmerican temperance worker, author, poet, orpha… · b. 1841
G
George W. BristowAmerican judge · b. 1894
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

New Grand Chain had its own post office from 1874 to 1902. Another post office, Grand Chain, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Grand Chain
1860–1875
New Grand Chain
1874–1902
Grand Chain
1902–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Grand Chain
1cemetery inside New Grand Chain
Grand Chain Masonic

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

Questions about New Grand Chain’s history

What year was New Grand Chain founded?

The New Grand Chain post office opened in 1874, 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 (1), 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) 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.