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History · Varna

Varna’s post office opened in 1871, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940

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

1871first post office
0on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Varna began

When was Varna founded?

1871

The Varna post office opened in 1871, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 286 in 18802020 census: 375155 years
Founding year: the first Varna post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Varna’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 Varna are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Varna’s homes were built before 1943.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Varna’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Varna’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

Varna, in brief

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

Varna is a village in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 375 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village was named for Varna, Bulgaria.

Its first post office opened in 1871. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 384 to 375 (-2%).

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

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

Varna on the map, 1934 to 1983

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

Varna on the 1934 USGS mapVarna on the 1983 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 Varna.

People over time

Varna, census by census

010020030040018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 441

Between 286 and 441 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Varna

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

See all →
C
Charles ThomAmerican mycologist · b. 1872
Clifford C. IrelandAmerican politician · b. 1878
J. Frank DuryeaAmerican inventor · b. 1869
Ted KennedyAmerican baseball player · b. 1865
B
Bob BarnesAmerican baseball player · b. 1902
John P. CromwellUnited States Navy Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1901

Questions about Varna’s history

What year was Varna founded?

The Varna post office opened in 1871, 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.