Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Thayer yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Thayer is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Thayer had a population of 632. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Its first post office opened in 1902. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 693 to 632 (-9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Thayer in 1912
Passages that mention Thayer, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Sangamon County1912 · page 1737Read the page →
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WOODWARD, Joseph Richard, who for the past ten years has been identified with the growth and progress of the village of Thayer, Ill., is now serving as President of the Village Board of that place and is a leader in every public enterprise. He is foreman of the Illinois Coal Washing Company’s plant at Thayer, and during the time he has been associated with this
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Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Sangamon County1912 · page 1229Read the page →
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President, who has been with it since its organization, about 1867. Mr. Fletcher and his secretary, R. H. Hayes, were the original settlers of the village of Thayer, and Mr. Fletcher has made it possible for the miners to own the homes they occupy, only two residents of the town being renters.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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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 the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
