Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Wamac

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Wamac

Wamac dates to 1916, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper.

1916founded
0on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Wamac began

When was Wamac founded?

1916

Wamac dates its founding to 1916 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 985110 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Wamac’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wamac’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wamac’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Wamac, in brief

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

Wamac is a city in Washington, Marion, and Clinton counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 985 at the 2020 census, down from 1,185 in 2010. Incorporated as a city on July 25, 1916, Wamac derives its name from the three counties.

Wamac was established in 1916. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,185 to 985 (-17%).

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

By decade

Wamac, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
City of Wamac, Marion, Washington, and Clinton Counties, Illinois : floodplain management reconnaissance studyDate?City of Wamac, Marion, Washington, and Clinton Counti…Book
Famous people

Famous people close to Wamac

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

See all →
Roland BurrisAmerican politician and attorney · b. 1937
James BradyWhite House Press Secretary under Ronald Reagan · b. 1940
David BlackwellAmerican mathematician · b. 1919
D
Dwight EddlemanAmerican basketball player and high jumper · b. 1922
D
Dick GarrettAmerican basketball player · b. 1947
William Sherman JenningsAmerican politician · b. 1863
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Centralia2 historic placesB+Irvington TownshipIts storyC+Brookside TownshipIts storyCCentralia Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Wamac’s history

What year was Wamac founded?

In 1916, according to Wikidata.

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 (1) 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.