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History · Sheffield

Sheffield dates to 1852, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Old Danish Church and the Village Hall.

1852founded
2on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sheffield began

When was Sheffield founded?

1852

Sheffield dates its founding to 1852 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). Its post office opened in 1853.

2020 census: 821174 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1853.

What stands out about Sheffield’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sheffield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sheffield’s homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sheffield’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Sheffield, in brief

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

Sheffield is a village in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 821 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sheffield was founded by Joseph E. Sheffield and Henry Farnam in 1852. Sheffield and Farnam constructed the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad, and the town site was intended as a coaling station for trains. According to Farnam, he and Sheffield flipped a coin to see for whom the town would be named. A monument to Joseph E. Sheffield, and the Rock Island Railroad stands today in Sheffield's town square.

Sheffield was established in 1852. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 926 to 821 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Sheffield, 1852 to 1910

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1852
    FoundingSheffield is established
  3. 1853Post officeThe Sheffield post office opens
  4. 1880BuiltOld Danish Church is built
  5. 1894Born hereRed Gunkel is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1910BuiltVillage Hall is built
By decade

Sheffield, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Image Sheffield Village Hall2015Image Sheffield Village HallDanish Church in2014Danish Church in
On the National Register

2 historic places in Sheffield

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Old Danish Church
Old Danish Church, built 1880Village Hall, built 1910
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Gothic1
Classical Revival1
Late Victorian1
Romanesque Revival1
Old Danish ChurchVictorian Gothic · Built 1880
Village HallClassical Revival · Built 1910

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Sheffield’s history

What year was Sheffield founded?

In 1852, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Sheffield’s post office opened in 1853.

What is on the National Register in Sheffield?

Two places: the Old Danish Church (listed 1973) and the Village Hall (2013).

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 (2), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.