Waterloo’s post office opened in 1818, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #120 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 236 buildings. Below: 13 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: the first Waterloo post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Waterloo’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Waterloo is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #120 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Waterloo’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 Waterloo’s 213 sits above most of its state (97% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 237 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Waterloo’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Every building
Waterloo, building by building, 1888–1913
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 year, then a sheet.
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.
Waterloo's history dates back to the 18th century, with the French being the first Europeans to settle in the area. The site was ideal because of its elevation; the proximity of the Mississippi River Valley brought frequent flooding to the lowlands. It was also close to Fort de Chartres, a French stronghold. They named their settlement Bellefontaine (originally La Belle Fontaine), meaning "beautiful spring". This name related to a spring of water a mile south of the site of Waterloo, a frequent campsite on journeys between Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and St. Louis. France had long since abandoned the area, as it had been ceded to Britain in the wake of the Seven Years' War in 1763 and had since been unoccupied. But while the outpost was included in the territory surrendered by France, Louis XV famously mourned the loss of Waterloo.
68. Members. § 1. That the Fire Department of the City of Waterloo shall consist of the members now composing the same, and such new members as shall from time to time be elected thereto by the members thereof, under such regulations as they shall prescribe; Provided, however, that at no time shall the membership thereof be less than ten active members, residents of the City of Waterloo, and of the age of not less than eighteen years. And should the membership thereof at any time become reduced to less than ten, and the Department neglect or
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Waterloo, the downfall of the first Napoleon1913 · page 173Read the page →
Read the text
Wellington had fixed his head-quarters in the village of Waterloo, lying in a small clearing on the southern skirt of the forest of Soignies, and almost surrounded by its tall trees. Thither came and went the orderlies from the Prussians at Wavre, and from the army in front, and from the detachment on the right flank. It was a busy night.
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Waterloo, the downfall of the first Napoleon1913 · page 344Read the page →
Read the text
Waterloo, church of, rolls of the killed at Waterloo there, 233. Waterloo, the village of, 178.
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.
Timeline
Waterloo, 1818 to 1933
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Waterloo post office opened in 1818, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Waterloo rank for history?
Waterloo is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #120 of 768 in Illinois. 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.
What is on the National Register in Waterloo?
Three places: the Peterstown House (listed 1977), the Waterloo Historic District (1978) and the Fountain Creek Bridge (1978).
How old are the homes in Waterloo?
11% of Waterloo’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (16), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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, 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.
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