Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: old-book passages.
The Worden post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Worden is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Worden’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.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Worden’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Worden.
Worden was originally called "New Hampton", and under the latter name was laid out in 1860. When the railroad was built through the settlement in 1870, the name "Worden" was given to the station, after John C. Worden, an English immigrant, businessman, and railroad promoter.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Worden, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Worden has good transportation facilities furnished by the Wabash and the Litchfield & Madison railroads. The Big Four passes east of town but has no station. Worden is also an important point on the Illinois Trac¬ tion line which furnishes it direct connection with the county seat.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Worden has good transportation facilities furnished by the Wabash and the Litchfield & Madison railroads. The Big Four passes east of town but has no station. Worden is also an important point on the Illinois Trac¬ tion line which furnishes it direct connection with the county seat.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The New Hope Baptist church was consti¬ tuted as early as 1840. It was situated near the present town of Worden. The Bethlehem United Baptist church was constituted August 17, 1849, by Elders J. V.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The New Hope Baptist church was consti¬ tuted as early as 1840. It was situated near the present town of Worden. The Bethlehem United Baptist church was constituted August 17, 1849, by Elders J. V.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Worden post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Worden is more historic than 50% 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.
32% of Worden’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1961.
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).
From 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.