Rantoul’s post office opened in 1862, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #329 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Rantoul was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1966. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 40 buildings. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.
The Rantoul post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Rantoul Station (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 850 in 18802020 census: 12,371164 years
How historic is Rantoul?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Rantoul post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rantoul’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rantoul is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #329 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rantoul’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Rantoul’s 32.2 sits above most of its state (89% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 40 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Rantoul’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first permanent settlement in the area known as Mink’s Grove (originally called “Neipswah” by Native Americans) was established by Archa Campbell, who later served as the first mayor of Urbana. Campbell settled in the area in 1848, where he constructed a log cabin.
Mink's Grove was laid out in 1854 for the Illinois Central Railroad by John Penfield. A post office was established in 1856 as Rantoul Station; the name was changed to Rantoul in May 1862.
The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illinois Central Railroad.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rantoul. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1924Paxton 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 Rantoul.
Every building
Rantoul, building by building, 1893–1910
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.
1893Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Rantoul’s post office has been open since 1862. Another post office, Rantoul Station, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Rantoul Station
1856–1862
Rantoul
1862–today
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Chanute Air Force BasemilitaryChanute Air Force Base HospitalhospitalThrasher Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rantoul
EdenElmwood
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Rantoul’s history
What year was Rantoul founded?
The Rantoul post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Rantoul rank for history?
Rantoul is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #329 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Rantoul?
One place: the Chanute Field Historic District (listed 2006).
How old are the homes in Rantoul?
9% of Rantoul’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1966.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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