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History · Wellington

Wellington’s post office opened in 1872, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1944 on and the census since 1910.

1872first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing) · Public domain
Quick answers

How Wellington began

When was Wellington founded?

1872

The Wellington post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 295 in 19102020 census: 206154 years
Founding year: the first Wellington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Wellington’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Wellington are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 410 in 1970; 206 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wellington’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wellington’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Wellington, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 410

Peaked at 410 in 1970; 206 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story so far

Wellington, in brief

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

Wellington is a village in Lovejoy Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 206 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1872. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 242 to 206 (-15%).

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

Timeline

Wellington, 1872 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Wellington post office opens
  3. 1875Born hereGeorge Henry Hamilton is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1944On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 410
By decade

Wellington, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Wellington, Illinois, USA aerial2016Wellington, Illinois, USA aerialWellington, llinois elevator2007Wellington, llinois elevator
On the map

Wellington on the map, 1944 to 1964

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

Wellington on the 1944 USGS mapWellington on the 1964 USGS map1944Milford 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 Wellington.

Places that used to be

Places now gone

Wellington’s post office has been open since 1872.

Gone or out of use
Wellington High Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Wellington’s history

What year was Wellington founded?

The Wellington post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (2), 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) 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.