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CHistory
History · Tinley Park

Tinley Park’s post office opened in 1890, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #568 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Tinley Park was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Its Register listing is the Karl Vogt Building. Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1900.

1890first post office
1on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Tinley Park began

When was Tinley Park founded?

1890

The Tinley Park post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1892.

First census: 300 in 19002020 census: 55,971136 years

How historic is Tinley Park?

C

More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Tinley Park post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1892.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Tinley Park’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Tinley Park is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #568 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Tinley Park’s overall grade.
Founding era1890, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.6% of homes (±0.5) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 0.2 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 28%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 26%

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 Tinley Park’s 0.2 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1892 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

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 →

What stands out about Tinley Park’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 Tinley Park are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18908 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1993. Watch Tinley Park change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tinley Park’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tinley Park’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

Tinley Park on the map, 1890 to 1993

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

Tinley Park on the 1890 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1900 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1929 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1953 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1963 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1973 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1980 USGS mapTinley Park on the 1993 USGS map1890Des Plaines 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 Tinley Park.

The story

How Tinley Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tinley Park.

Read it all →

Modern settlement of the area now known as Tinley Park began in the 1820s as emigrants from Europe and the eastern United States arrived. By the 1840s, a significant population of German Americans had established themselves in the region. In recognition of their prominence, the village was officially named Bremen when it was founded in 1853. Other early settler groups included Irish, English, Scottish, Canadian immigrants.

Chapters19th century20th century to present

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tinley Park, 1890 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Tinley Park post office opens
  3. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911Born hereEmil Andres is born here
  6. 1916Born hereTony Bettenhausen is born here
  7. 1974Born hereBen Kotwica is born here
  8. 1996Born hereMiles Boykin is born here
By decade

Tinley Park, decade by decade

Today9 recent
Sam's Club (Tinley Park, Illinois) 12023Sam's Club (Tinley Park, Illinois) 1Cracker Barrel (Tinley Park, Illinois) 12023Cracker Barrel (Tinley Park, Illinois) 1Will Knaak2019Will KnaakTinley Park Public Library Main Entrance2017Tinley Park Public Library Main EntranceTinley Park Public Library2016Tinley Park Public LibraryKarl Vogt Building2010Karl Vogt BuildingUS-IL-Chicagoland-Tinley Park2005US-IL-Chicagoland-Tinley ParkDavid-Bowie Chicago 2002-08-08 photoby Adam-Bielawski2002David-Bowie Chicago 2002-08-08 photoby Adam-BielawskiDavid-Bowie Chicago 2002-08-08 photoby Adam-Bielawski-cropped2002David-Bowie Chicago 2002-08-08 photoby Adam-Bielawski…
On the National Register

1 historic place in Tinley Park

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
1988
Karl Vogt Building
Karl Vogt Building
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Italianate1
Karl Vogt BuildingItalianate

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

People over time

Tinley Park, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 56,703

Between 300 and 56,703 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Tinley Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Tony BettenhausenAmerican racecar driver · b. 1916
E
Emil AndresAmerican open-wheel racing driver · b. 1911
Miles BoykinAmerican football wide receiver · b. 1996
Ben KotwicaAmerican football player and coach · b. 1974
K
Kevin SefcikAmerican baseball player · b. 1971
B
Bonnie ThollAmerican softball player · b. 1969
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Tinley Park’s post office has been open since 1890.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Fernway
Gone or out of use
Hollstein SchoolschoolOrland ChurchchurchProsperi AirportairportSchool Number 140school
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Tinley Park
Lewis Memorial ParkTinley Park MemorialTrinity LutheranZion Lutheran

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Orland Park2 historic placesB−Mokena1 historic placeC+FrankfortIts storyC−Frankfort SquareIts storyD−Bremen Township2 historic placesC+Rich Township2 historic placesC+

Questions about Tinley Park’s history

What year was Tinley Park founded?

The Tinley Park post office opened in 1890, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1892.

How does Tinley Park rank for history?

Tinley Park is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #568 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.

What is on the National Register in Tinley Park?

One place: the Karl Vogt Building (listed 1988).

How old are the homes in Tinley Park?

2% of Tinley Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1987.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.