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BHistory
History · Washburn

Washburn dates to 1850, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 57% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1870.

1850founded
0on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: ProfDEH at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Washburn began

When was Washburn founded?

1850

Washburn dates its founding to 1850 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 272 in 18702020 census: 1,032176 years

How historic is Washburn?

B

More historic than 57% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1851.
History grade

What drives Washburn’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washburn is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washburn’s overall grade.
Founding era1850, from Wikipedia: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194051.4% of homes (±10.8) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 57%
NewerOlder

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 Washburn’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.

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 (±10.8 points). Two sources give 1850.

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 Washburn’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.On the map since 18934 editions of the USGS map, 1893 to 1972. Watch Washburn change.Old housesHalf of Washburn’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washburn’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPlat book of Woodford County, Illinois: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Washburn on the map, 1893 to 1972

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

Washburn on the 1893 USGS mapWashburn on the 1937 USGS mapWashburn on the 1948 USGS mapWashburn on the 1972 USGS map1893Metamora 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 Washburn.

The story so far

Washburn, in brief

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

Washburn is a village mostly in Woodford County, with a small northerly portion in Marshall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,032 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area. Washburn was first founded by site owner Hiram Echols in 1850 as Uniontown before its renaming as Washburn in 1857.

Washburn was established in 1850. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,155 to 1,032 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Washburn, 1850 to 1922

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850
    FoundingWashburn is established
  3. 1851Post officeThe Washburn post office opens
  4. 1869Born hereJ. Frank Duryea is born here
  5. 1878Born hereClifford C. Ireland is born here
  6. 1893In the archivePlat book of Woodford County, Illinois
  7. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1902Born hereBob Barnes is born here
  10. 1922Born hereJoseph Henry Wegstein is born here
By decade

Washburn, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
Plat book of Woodford County, Illinois1893Plat book of Woodford County, Illinois
1900s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Large wood cabin destroyed near2026Large wood cabin destroyed nearWashburn, Illinois aerial 01A2012Washburn, Illinois aerial 01AWashburn, Illinois aerial 012012Washburn, Illinois aerial 01Washburn-Il-082005Washburn-Il-08Washburn-Il-062005Washburn-Il-06
Every building

Washburn, building by building, 1922

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.

Washburn fire insurance map, 1922, sheet 11922Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Plat book of Woodford County, Illinois
Retake this viewPlat book of Woodford County, Illinois, 1893

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Washburn’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Washburn, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,206

Between 272 and 1,206 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Washburn

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Clifford C. IrelandAmerican politician · b. 1878
J. Frank DuryeaAmerican inventor · b. 1869
B
Bob BarnesAmerican baseball player · b. 1902
J
Joseph Henry WegsteinAmerican computer scientist · b. 1922
Ira T. CarrithersAmerican sports coach, athletics administrator · b. 1886

Questions about Washburn’s history

What year was Washburn founded?

In 1850, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Washburn’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1870 counted 272 people here.

How does Washburn rank for history?

Washburn is more historic than 57% 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 Washburn?

51% of Washburn’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1938.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.