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History · Sparland

Sparland’s post office opened in 1857, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Robert Waugh House. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1870.

1857first post office
1on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Sparland began

When was Sparland founded?

1857

The Sparland post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 558 in 18702020 census: 366169 years
Founding year: the first Sparland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Sparland’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 Sparland are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18933 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1972. Watch Sparland change.Old housesHalf of Sparland’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sparland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sparland’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
On the map

Sparland on the map, 1893 to 1972

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

Sparland on the 1893 USGS mapSparland on the 1933 USGS mapSparland on the 1972 USGS map1893Lacon 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 Sparland.

The story so far

Sparland, in brief

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

Sparland is a village in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 366 at the 2020 census, down from 406 in 2010. It is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Its first post office opened in 1857. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 406 to 366 (-10%).

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

By decade

Sparland, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Sparland sign 11032008Sparland sign 1103Sparland octagon house 11112008Sparland octagon house 1111Sparland 11222008Sparland 1122Cables-Sparland2008Cables-SparlandILMap-doton-Sparland2007ILMap-doton-SparlandOctagonHouse-Sparland2005OctagonHouse-Sparland
On the National Register

1 historic place in Sparland

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Robert Waugh House
Robert Waugh House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Octagonal1
Robert Waugh HouseOctagonal

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

People over time

Sparland, census by census

010020030040050060018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 624

Between 366 and 624 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Sparland

Nobody well known was born in Sparland itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Clifford C. IrelandAmerican politician · b. 1878
J. Frank DuryeaAmerican inventor · b. 1869
B
Bob BarnesAmerican baseball player · b. 1902
Robert SproullAmerican academic · b. 1918
J
Joseph Henry WegsteinAmerican computer scientist · b. 1922
Ira T. CarrithersAmerican sports coach, athletics administrator · b. 1886

Questions about Sparland’s history

What year was Sparland founded?

The Sparland post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Sparland?

One place: the Robert Waugh House (listed 1978).

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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.