More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #631 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Savoy was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1957 on, and the census since 1960.
Founding year: the first Savoy post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1956.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Savoy’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Savoy is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #631 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Savoy’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 Savoy’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 still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1956.
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 →
The village was named after Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy, who had paid the area a visit in 1861. Legend suggests that Maria may have made this visit while on a train in her tour. The village was incorporated on April 10, 1956.
Henry M. Dunlap (1853–1938), Illinois farmer and state legislator, lived in Savoy.
In 1857, Mathias Dunlap opened his house as a depot for African Americans to hide in during their escape in the underground railroad. This was located in what now is Burwash Park.
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.
The Savoy post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1956.
How does Savoy rank for history?
Savoy is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #631 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 Savoy?
4% of Savoy’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1996.
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), Wikipedia, 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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