Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1917 on and the census since 1870.
The Viola post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Viola’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Viola. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Viola.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Viola yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Viola (pronounced vy-OLA) is a village in Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 869 at the 2020 census, a decline of 9 percent from 955 in 2010.
Its first post office opened in 1856. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 955 to 869 (-9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Viola, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of Viola was laid out by Ford, Shepard and Perkins in 1856. As that time the old Air Line railroad was being surveyed through the country, and Viola was one of the points selected for a station. The name was conferred upon the infant village by Judge Perkins, and is said to have been suggested to him by one of his daughters. In 1856-7 the judge erected the large brick hotel, supposing that a prosperous town would soon surround it. But owing to the collapse of the railroad scheme the great building stood almost alone in its glory
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Greene was suggested by John Collins, with whom General Greene of revolutionary fame was a great favorite. The first town meeting was held in a school-house that stood on a hill in what is now the eastern part of the village of Viola. John Collins was chosen chairman Ijy acclamation, after which Uri Smith was chosen moderator, and Henry Hoagland, clerk pro tern. The polls being opened the following ofiicers were chosen by ballott : Elisha Miles, supervisor ; Henry Hoagland, town clerk ; William P. Collins, assessor ; Alexander McGauhey,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.
1917Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Between 370 and 1,144 people in every census since 1870.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Viola’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Viola itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Viola post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2026