Red Bud dates to 1820, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #78 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 113 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1912 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1847.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Red Bud’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Red Bud is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #78 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Red Bud’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 Red Bud’s 365 sits above most of its state (98% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 138 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1820.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.2 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Red Bud’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The city receives its name from the redbud tree, a species of flora that grows in the area. The first development by a European settler within what is now the city limits was made by Preston Brickey in 1820. He constructed a log cabin near the current intersection of Main and Power streets, and there cultivated a farm. In 1839, James Pollock placed a small stock of goods in the log cabin built by Henry Simmons, where he did business for about a year. This was located where Lutheran cemetery now exists. The next year he moved his stock of goods into a log building erected by John C. Crozier. He continued the business there about three years, when he moved to Preston. In 1840, R.D. Dufree became the first permanent merchant in Red Bud. Two years later he built a frame store house on the southeast corner of Main and Market streets. The first brick school house was erected in 1854, in the e…
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.
In 1820, according to Wikidata. Red Bud’s post office opened in 1847, and the census of 1870 counted 880 people here.
How does Red Bud rank for history?
Red Bud is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #78 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 Red Bud?
One place: the Red Bud Historic District (listed 1979).
How old are the homes in Red Bud?
16% of Red Bud’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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) 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.
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