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B+History
History · Robinson

Robinson’s post office opened in 1845, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 69% of U.S. towns · #269 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1880.

1845first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Robinson’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Robinson began

When was Robinson founded?

1845

The Robinson post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,380 in 18802020 census: 7,150181 years

How historic is Robinson?

B+

More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Robinson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Robinson’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Robinson is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #269 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Robinson’s overall grade.
Founding era1845, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194027.4% of homes (±6.4) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 69%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 65%

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 Robinson’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

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 (±6.4 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 Robinson’s past

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

Then and nowOne place photographed years apart. Drag to compare.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1894 to 1916, drew every building in Robinson.Deep rootsA post office since 1845: 181 years of Robinson.Old housesHalf of Robinson’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Then & now

The same spot, 72 years apart

Drag across each photo to compare.

Crawford County Courthouse inCourthouse, Crawford County19402012
Courthouse, Crawford CountyMatched from the two captions
Every building

Robinson, building by building, 1894–1916

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.

Robinson fire insurance map, 1894, sheet 11894Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Robinson, 1845 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1845Post officeThe Robinson post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1907In the archiveRobinson, IL - Nov. 1, 1907
  5. 1916Born hereRobert Brubaker is born here
  6. 1916Born hereSkip Martin is born here
  7. 1917In the archiveIllinois - Red Bud through Rockford
  8. 1921Born hereJames Jones is born here
  9. 1940In the archiveCourthouse, Crawford County
  10. 1956Born hereLisa Brown is born here
  11. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story so far

Robinson, in brief

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

Robinson is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,150 at the 2020 census, down from 7,713 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1845. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 7,713 to 7,150 (-7%).

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

By decade

Robinson, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1940s8 items
Robinson, IL - Nov. 1, 19071907Robinson, IL - Nov. 1, 1907Illinois - Red Bud through Rockford1917Illinois - Red Bud through RockfordIllinois - Red Bud through Rockford1917Illinois - Red Bud through RockfordCourthouse, Crawford County1940Courthouse, Crawford CountyMan and dogs in front of grocery store1940Man and dogs in front of grocery storeUntitled photo, possibly related to: Courthouse, Crawford County1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Courthouse, Craw…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Courthouse, Crawford County1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Courthouse, Craw…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Man and dogs in front of grocery store1940Untitled photo, possibly related to: Man and dogs in …
1950s–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
Today6 recent
Robinson post office 624542012Robinson post office 62454Robinson Carnegie Library2012Robinson Carnegie LibraryCrawford County Courthouse in2012Crawford County Courthouse inCrawford County Christian Center2012Crawford County Christian CenterRobinson High School in Illinois2011Robinson High School in IllinoisRobinson Mourning Dove2006Robinson Mourning Dove
On the map

Robinson on the map, 1966 to 1987

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

Robinson on the 1966 USGS mapRobinson on the 1987 USGS map1966Hutsonville sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Robinson.

People over time

Robinson, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 7,713

Between 1,380 and 7,713 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Robinson

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

See all →
James JonesAmerican author · b. 1921
R
Robert BrubakerAmerican actor · b. 1916
Lisa BrownAmerican politician · b. 1956
S
Skip MartinAmerican musician · b. 1916
H
Hal MeffordAmerican football player · b. 1882
P
Philip H. Lewis Jr.American landscape architect · b. 1925
Help out

Finish Robinson’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewRobinson, IL - Nov. 1, 1907: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Robinson’s history

What year was Robinson founded?

The Robinson post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Robinson rank for history?

Robinson is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #269 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.

How old are the homes in Robinson?

27% of Robinson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1957.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), the Library of Congress (5), 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 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.