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History · Papineau

Papineau’s post office opened in 1871, and 37% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1939 on and the census since 1880.

1871first post office
0on the National Register
37%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Omnedon · Public domain
Quick answers

How Papineau began

When was Papineau founded?

1871

The Papineau post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 51 in 18802020 census: 133155 years
Founding year: the first Papineau post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Papineau’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 Papineau are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 219 in 1970; 133 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Papineau’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Papineau’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Papineau’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

Papineau, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 219

Peaked at 219 in 1970; 133 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Papineau, in brief

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

Papineau is a village in Papineau Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 133 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 171 to 133 (-22%).

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

Timeline

Papineau, 1871 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1871Post officeThe Papineau post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 219
By decade

Papineau, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Papineau Illinois2007Papineau IllinoisImmanuel's Evangelical Church in2007Immanuel's Evangelical Church in
On the map

Papineau on the map, 1939 to 1964

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

Papineau on the 1939 USGS mapPapineau on the 1964 USGS map1939Watseka 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 Papineau.

Famous people

Famous people close to Papineau

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

See all →
Fred MacMurrayAmerican actor · b. 1908
Adam KinzingerAmerican military officer and politician · b. 1978
Merna KennedyActress · b. 1908
P
P. C. CastAmerican writer · b. 1960
J
Jack SikmaAmerican basketball player-coach · b. 1955
David BruceAmerican actor · b. 1914

Questions about Papineau’s history

What year was Papineau founded?

The Papineau post office opened in 1871, 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), 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.