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History · Tonica

Tonica’s post office opened in 1854, and 45% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1934 on and the census since 1880.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Tonica began

When was Tonica founded?

1854

The Tonica post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Point Republic (1836) and Tonica Station (1854), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 504 in 18802020 census: 749172 years
Founding year: the first Tonica post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Tonica’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 Tonica are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Tonica.Old housesHalf of Tonica’s homes were built before 1947.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tonica’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tonica’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Tonica’s post office has been open since 1854. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Point Republic
1836–1854
Tonica
1854–today
Tonica Station
1854–1854
18301930today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Tonica
FairviewOld Tonica

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

The story

How Tonica came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tonica.

Read it all →

Tonica was originally a small hamlet called Point Republic. The village was founded by Andrew West, the local agent for the Illinois Central Railroad. The tracks arrived May 23, 1853. Tonica was first incorporated on April 3, 1859, then reincorporated on August 16, 1873. The incorporation was certified on October 16, 1901.

Tonica derives its name from the Tunica people that West learned about while growing up in New York State. West likewise named many of the streets in the town after Native American tribes and people.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tonica, 1836 to 1934

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836Post officeThe Point Republic post office opens
  3. 1854Post officeThe Point Republic post office closes
  4. 1854Post officeThe Tonica post office opens
  5. 1854Post officeThe Tonica Station post office opens
  6. 1854Post officeThe Tonica Station post office closes
  7. 1868Born hereHerbert Spencer Jennings is born here
  8. 1869Born hereCharles Cyrus Kearns is born here
  9. 1869Born hereArthur R. Hall is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1916Born hereHoward C. Ryan is born here
  12. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Tonica, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Tonica, IL water tower2026Tonica, IL water towerTonica, Illinois2013Tonica, IllinoisTonica, Illinois2013Tonica, IllinoisTonica Tower2008Tonica Tower
On the map

Tonica on the map, 1934 to 1998

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

Tonica on the 1934 USGS mapTonica on the 1983 USGS mapTonica on the 1998 USGS map1934Wenona 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 Tonica.

People over time

Tonica, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 821

Between 439 and 821 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Tonica

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

See all →
Herbert Spencer JenningsAmerican biologist · b. 1868
Charles Cyrus KearnsPolitician · b. 1869
Arthur R. HallAmerican football player and coach · b. 1869
H
Howard C. RyanAmerican judge · b. 1916

Questions about Tonica’s history

What year was Tonica founded?

The Tonica post office opened in 1854, 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 →
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 (4), 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.