Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Oakland

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 · Oakland

Oakland’s post office opened in 1833, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1880.

1833first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Oakland’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Oakland began

When was Oakland founded?

1833

The Oakland post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 727 in 18802020 census: 739193 years
Founding year: the first Oakland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Oakland’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,210 in 1920; 739 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1916, drew every building in Oakland.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.Deep rootsA post office since 1833: 193 years of Oakland.
★ What stands out · People over time

Oakland, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,210

Peaked at 1,210 in 1920; 739 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Every building

Oakland, building by building, 1893–1916

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.

Oakland 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.

By decade

Oakland, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s12 items
Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …1933Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgom…
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
The story

How Oakland came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oakland.

Read it all →

Oakland, formerly known as Independence, was platted in 1833.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Oakland in 1879

Passages that mention Oakland, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The first store in Oakland Township was kept by a man named Sherifl", an uncle to the present Postmaster at Paris, Edgar County. It was located on the road east of the village of Oakland, and his goods were hauled from Chicago by 'Squire Pemberton. " Chicago, then," says the 'Squire, " was no large…
The history of Coles county, Illinois..1879 · page 451Read the page →
Read the text

The first store in Oakland Township was kept by a man named Sherifl", an uncle to the present Postmaster at Paris, Edgar County. It was located on the road east of the village of Oakland, and his goods were hauled from Chicago by 'Squire Pemberton. " Chicago, then," says the 'Squire, " was no larger that the village of Oakland is now." The first post office in the township was kept by Wilson Morrison, east of the village. It was on the confines of a large grove, surrounded by oak-trees, and thus received the appropriate name of Oakland— names since bestowed on the village and the township. In was on the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first store in Oakland Township was kept by a man named Sherifi", an uncle to the present Postmaster at Paris, Edgar County. It was located on the road east of the village of Oakland, and his goods were hauled from Chicago by 'Squire Pemberton. " Chicago, then," says the 'Squire, " was no large…
The History of Coles County, Illinois ... map of Coles County1879 · page 451Read the page →
Read the text

The first store in Oakland Township was kept by a man named Sherifi", an uncle to the present Postmaster at Paris, Edgar County. It was located on the road east of the village of Oakland, and his goods were hauled from Chicago by 'Squire Pemberton. " Chicago, then," says the 'Squire, " was no larger that the village of Oakland is now." The first post ofiice in the township was kept by Wilson Morrison, east of the village. It was on the confines of a large grove, surrounded by oak-trees, and thus received the appropriate name of Oakland— names since bestowed on the village and the township. In was on the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
ing until 1871, when he located in Coles Co., 111., and after preaching in Ashmore, and other churches in the circuit until 1877, then located in Oakland, where he now lives; in the spring of 1878, he became editor of the Oakland Herald, which position he now holds ; this is the only paper in the t…
The History of Coles County, Illinois ... map of Coles County1879 · page 561Read the page →
Read the text

ing until 1871, when he located in Coles Co., 111., and after preaching in Ashmore, and other churches in the circuit until 1877, then located in Oakland, where he now lives; in the spring of 1878, he became editor of the Oakland Herald, which position he now holds ; this is the only paper in the town of Oakland. He married

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1854, Clement i Clark built a steam-mill in the village of Oakland. It was a great institution in this primitive settlement, and people came for miles to see the engine work, and were frightened out of their wits when the steam blew off. A sash saw was added to it, but was soon dispensed with. T…
The history of Coles county, Illinois..1879 · page 453Read the page →
Read the text

In 1854, Clement i Clark built a steam-mill in the village of Oakland. It was a great institution in this primitive settlement, and people came for miles to see the engine work, and were frightened out of their wits when the steam blew off. A sash saw was added to it, but was soon dispensed with. The mill has several times changed proprietors and is now owned by John Burwell. The Smith mill, as it is called, is of rather recent building, and was put up by W.

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.

Timeline

Oakland, 1833 to 1954

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833Post officeThe Oakland post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 1,210
  5. 1933In the archivePublic Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Stree…
  6. 1936On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1943Born hereJohn McQueen is born here
  8. 1954Born hereChris Miller is born here
On the map

Oakland on the map, 1936 to 1998

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

Oakland on the 1936 USGS mapOakland on the 1942 USGS mapOakland on the 1982 USGS mapOakland on the 1998 USGS map1936Oakland 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 Oakland.

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.

Public Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …
Retake this viewPublic Square (Buildings), North Walnut, West Montgomery, North Pike, and West Main Streets, Oakland, Coles County, IL …, 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

2 famous people were born in Oakland

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

See all →
Chris MillerAmerican politician · b. 1954
J
John McQueenAmerican artist, sculptor (b. 1943) · b. 1943
Help out

Finish Oakland’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPublic Square (Buildings), North Walnut…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Oakland’s history

What year was Oakland founded?

The Oakland post office opened in 1833, 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 (12), 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.