Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1871.
History grade
What drives Warrensburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Warrensburg is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Warrensburg’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Warrensburg’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1841.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Warrensburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Warrensburg yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Warrensburg is a village in Macon County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,110 at the 2020 census, down from 1,201 in 2010. It is included in the Decatur, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Warrensburg was established in 1841.
Warrensburg was established in 1841. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,210 to 1,110 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Warrensburg, 1880–1930
Passages that mention Warrensburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Centennial history of Decatur and Macon county1930 · page 435Read the page →
Read the text
After the Pekin, Lincoln & Decatur railroad, now the Peoria branch of the Illinois Central, was built through the township, the town of Warrensburg was located in the northwest quarter of Section 14. The town was platted by Warren & Durfee, and named for John K. Warren. Mr.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Centennial history of Decatur and Macon county1930 · page 96Read the page →
Read the text
Warrensburg was named for John K. Warren, former mayor of Decatur. He was director of the old Pekin, Lincoln and Decatur railroad at the time the road was built. The town of Warrensburg was platted by Warren and Durfee.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1871, occurred the establishment of a post-office at Warrensburg, with R. Schrader, as first post-master. Dr. Holbrook, who located in Warrensburg, was the first physician. The first entry of land dates back to July 18th, 1849, when Walter Turner entered 80 acres in section 33, and two tracts in section 34, of 80 acres each. And on the same day Humphrey Scroggins entered S.W. I of section 34, 160 acres, all in T. No. 17 N. R. 1 east of the 3d P. M. 1
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Macon County, Illinois1880 · page 74Read the page →
Read the text
corner of the farm owned by J. S. Childs, two and one-half miles S. E. of Warrensburg, and is now known as the Childs’ schoolhouse. The first house was built in Macon township in 1854 ; Mr.
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.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Warrensburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Niantic 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 Warrensburg.
People over time
Warrensburg, census by census
Between 456 and 1,372 people in every census since 1900.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Warrensburg’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Warrensburg’s history
What year was Warrensburg founded?
In 1841, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Warrensburg’s post office opened in 1871, and the census of 1900 counted 503 people here.
How does Warrensburg rank for history?
Warrensburg is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Warrensburg?
13% of Warrensburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1972.
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).
From 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 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.
