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History · Pearl

Pearl’s post office opened in 1855, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1930 on, and the census since 1880.

1855first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
5old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Pearl’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Pearl began

When was Pearl founded?

1855

The Pearl post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Pearl Depot (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 73 in 18802020 census: 103171 years
Founding year: the first Pearl post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Pearl’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 928 in 1890; 103 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Pearl’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · People over time

Pearl, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 928

Peaked at 928 in 1890; 103 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story so far

Pearl, in brief

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

Pearl is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 103 at the 2020 census. The village, settled in the late 19th century, is named after pearl buttons drilled from the large supply of native mussels that once lived in the nearby Illinois River.

Its first post office opened in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 138 to 103 (-25%).

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

Timeline

Pearl, 1855 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855Post officeThe Pearl post office opens
  3. 1872Post officeThe Pearl Depot post office opens
  4. 1876Born hereDave Altizer is born here
  5. 1890In the archiveStone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]s
  6. 1890Post officeThe Pearl Depot post office closes
  7. 1890CensusPopulation peaks at 928
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900In the archiveStone crusher at Pearl, Ill's
  10. 1930On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Pearl, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1900s4 items
Stone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]s1890Stone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]sPlat book of Pike County, Illinois1895Plat book of Pike County, IllinoisStone crusher at Pearl, Ill's1900Stone crusher at Pearl, Ill'sSteel bridge over Illinois River at Pearl, Ill1901Steel bridge over Illinois River at Pearl, Ill
1910s–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
Date unknown1 to date
Hill Creek Bridge, Spanning Hill Creek at State Route 100Date?Hill Creek Bridge, Spanning Hill Creek at State Route…
On the map

Pearl on the map, 1930 to 1950

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

Pearl on the 1930 USGS mapPearl on the 1950 USGS map1930Pearl 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 Pearl.

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.

Stone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]s
Retake this viewStone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]s, 1890

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

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Pearl’s post office has been open since 1855. Another post office, Pearl Depot, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pearl
1855–today
Pearl Depot
1872–1890
18501940today

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

Help out

Start Pearl’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pearl’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewStone quarry at Pearl, Ill[inoi]s: 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.

Patterson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPearl TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pearl’s history

What year was Pearl founded?

The Pearl post office opened in 1855, 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), the Library of Congress (4), 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.