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History · Symerton

Symerton’s post office opened in 1881, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1910.

1881first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
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Photo: AlphaBeta135 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Symerton began

When was Symerton founded?

1881

The Symerton post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 157 in 19102020 census: 128145 years
Founding year: the first Symerton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Symerton’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 Symerton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1993. Watch Symerton change.Old housesHalf of Symerton’s homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Symerton’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Symerton on the map, 1892 to 1993

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

Symerton on the 1892 USGS mapSymerton on the 1918 USGS mapSymerton on the 1953 USGS mapSymerton on the 1973 USGS mapSymerton on the 1993 USGS map1892Wilmington 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 Symerton.

The story

How Symerton came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Symerton.

Read it all →

Symerton was served by the Wabash Railroad. The Will County Historical Society moved the depot to Lockport, Illinois, to serve as part of the society's frontier village; however, the frontier village was evicted from its site in 2009, and the depot was placed into storage. It has since been relocated to Heritage Village on 2nd Street, including other relocated historic buildings from other parts of Will County. The Blackhawk Railway Historical Society was involved in restoring this depot to its original appearance.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Symerton, 1881 to 1953

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1881Post officeThe Symerton post office opens
  3. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1953Post officeThe Symerton post office closes
By decade

Symerton, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Wauponsee Glacial Trail at Symerton (March 2025)2025Wauponsee Glacial Trail at Symerton (March 2025)
People over time

Symerton, census by census

0100192019401960198020002020Peak: 157

Between 69 and 157 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Symerton had its own post office from 1881 to 1953.

Symerton
1881–1953
18801950today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Symerton’s history

What year was Symerton founded?

The Symerton post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (1), 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.