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History · Tovey

Tovey’s post office opened in 1915, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 1920.

1915first post office
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Tovey began

When was Tovey founded?

1915

The Tovey post office opened in 1915, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 913 in 19202020 census: 464111 years
Founding year: the first Tovey post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Tovey’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 Tovey are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Tovey’s homes were built before 1948.On the map since 19233 editions of the USGS map, 1923 to 1998. Watch Tovey change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tovey’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tovey’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
The story so far

Tovey, in brief

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

Tovey is a village in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The town's population was 464 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1915. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 512 to 464 (-9%).

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

On the map

Tovey on the map, 1923 to 1998

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

Tovey on the 1923 USGS mapTovey on the 1982 USGS mapTovey on the 1998 USGS map1923Taylorville 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 Tovey.

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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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People over time

Tovey, census by census

02004006008001,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 933

Between 464 and 933 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Tovey

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

See all →
George LloydActor · b. 1892
Nick MatonAmerican baseball player · b. 1997
A
Al UnserBaseball player · b. 1912
J
Joe BukantPlayer of American football · b. 1915
E
Edward A. HayesNational Commander of the American Legion, 1933… · b. 1893
J
James L. MorisonAmerican football coach
Places that used to be

Old corners

Tovey’s post office has been open since 1915.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Tovey Humphrey Station

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

Questions about Tovey’s history

What year was Tovey founded?

The Tovey post office opened in 1915, 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 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.