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–Not graded
History · West Liberty

West Liberty’s post office opened in 1878, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1941 on.

1878first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How West Liberty began

When was West Liberty founded?

1878

The West Liberty post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 96148 years
Founding year: the first West Liberty post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about West Liberty’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 West Liberty are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of West Liberty’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start West Liberty’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how West Liberty’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
The story so far

West Liberty, in brief

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

West Liberty is an unincorporated community and Census-designated Place in Fox Township, Jasper County, Illinois, United States. The population was 96 at the 2020 census. West Liberty first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. census.

Its first post office opened in 1878.

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

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.
Add from your album
On the map

West Liberty on the map, 1941 to 1985

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

West Liberty on the 1941 USGS mapWest Liberty on the 1985 USGS map1941Newton 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 West Liberty.

Famous people

Famous people close to West Liberty

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

See all →
Burl IvesAmerican musician · b. 1909
Elaine ShepardBroadway and film actress in the 1930s and 1940s · b. 1913
Terry L. BruceAmerican politician · b. 1944
William W. ArnoldAmerican politician · b. 1877
Edmund SebreeUnited States general · b. 1898
Edwin B. BrooksAmerican politician · b. 1868
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Preston TownshipIts storyCFox TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about West Liberty’s history

What year was West Liberty founded?

The West Liberty post office opened in 1878, 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.