Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1924 on, and the census since 1900.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wilmington yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Wilmington (Patterson) is a village in Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 91 at the 2020 census.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 142 to 91 (-36%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Wilmington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Wilmington is situated in Township 12, Range 12, in Northwestern Precinct, in the northwestern portion of the county, and was laid out in 1836, on the 18th day of May, by Lucius S. Norton, Thomas Groce, Thomas Hanks, Young, Henderson, Lane, and Higbee. It is six miles from the Illinois River and one and a half miles north of Drake Station, on the Louisiana branch of the C.& A.R.R. John Coates (the father of eight sons and two daughters, all of whom still live in the county, except Chester, who resides in Scott County), was among the early settlers in
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
period of eleven years. Moving from Wilmington to what is now the town of Barrow, Mr. A. erected the first building and became the first resident of the live little town, and has watched with proud satisfaction its upward growth. In addition to general blacksmithing Mr. Ashlock does a large horse shoeing business, and is
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
period of eleven years. Moving from Wilmington to what is now the town of Barrow, Mr. A. erected the first building and became the first resident of the live little town, and has watched with proud satisfaction its upward growth. In addition to general blacksmithing Mr. Ashlock does a large horse shoeing business, and is
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Wilmington is situated in Township 12, Range 12, in Northwestern Precinct, in the northwestern portion of the county, and was laid out in 1836, on the 18tli day of May, by Lucius S. Norton, Thomas Groce, Thomas Hanks, Young, Henderson, Lane, and Higbee. It is six miles from the Illinois River and one and a half miles north of Drake Station, on the Louisiana branch of the C.& A.R.R. John Coates (the father of eight sons and two daughters, all of whom still live in the county, except Chester, who resides in Scott County), was among the early settlers in
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In the archiveRobson's Bridge
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyOne decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
2023The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue on U.S. Route 66
2023The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue on U.S. Route 66
2023Nelly's Old School Brewing in Willington, Illinois
2023Kaveneys drugstore and soda shop now called Sincerely…
2023Storefront on the main street of Wilmington, Illinois…
2023Route 66 landmark map and sign
2023Route 66 mural
2023Route 66 CreameryEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wilmington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wilmington.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Wilmington’s page.
Retake this view · +15Between 91 and 228 people in every census since 1900.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wilmington’s Wikipedia page.
Nobody well known was born in Wilmington itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 the Library of Congress (15), 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.
1900
1900
1900![On the island [Island Park]](https://images.townratings.com/story/3575/2d3b96af2e398bfdff4e-s.jpg)
1900![Driveway on the island, [Island Park]](https://images.townratings.com/story/3575/be91f99bf142f82321a0-s.jpg)
1900
1900
