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History · Unity

Unity’s post office opened in 1834, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1934 on.

1834first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Unity began

When was Unity founded?

1834

The Unity post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hodges Pard (1876), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 98192 years
Founding year: the first Unity post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Unity’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 Unity are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Unity’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1834: 192 years of Unity.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Unity’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Unity’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

Unity, in brief

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

Unity, also known as Hodges Park Station, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Sandusky Precinct, Alexander County, Illinois, United States. Illinois Route 127 passes by Unity south of Tamms. The population as of the 2020 census was 98.

Its first post office opened in 1834.

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

Timeline

Unity, 1834 to 1964

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1834Post officeThe Unity post office opens
  3. 1876Post officeThe Unity post office closes
  4. 1876Post officeThe Hodges Pard post office opens
  5. 1884Post officeThe Unity post office opens
  6. 1893Post officeThe Hodges Pard post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1964Post officeThe Unity post office closes
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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On the map

Unity on the map, 1934 to 1996

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

Unity on the 1934 USGS mapUnity on the 1955 USGS mapUnity on the 1967 USGS mapUnity on the 1996 USGS map1934Thebes 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 Unity.

Famous people

Famous people close to Unity

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

See all →
Rush LimbaughAmerican political commentator · b. 1951
Linda M. GodwinAmerican astronaut · b. 1952
Kenny RollinsAmerican basketball player · b. 1923
Caroline SmithAmerican diver · b. 1906
D
Dale DyeAmerican actor, presenter, and businessman · b. 1944
Rex IngramAmerican actor (1895/1903–1969) · b. 1895
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Unity had its own post office from 1834 to 1876. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Unity
1834–1876
Hodges Pard
1876–1893
Unity
1884–1964
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hodges Park

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

Questions about Unity’s history

What year was Unity founded?

The Unity post office opened in 1834, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.