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History · Heltonville

Heltonville’s post office opened in 1846

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1934 on.

1846first post office
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Heltonville’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Heltonville began, and where its name came from

When was Heltonville founded?

1846

The Heltonville post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name.

180 years

How did Heltonville get its name?

Heltonville was named for its founder, Andrew Helton, who had opened a store at the site some time before 1839.

Founding year: the first Heltonville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Heltonville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1846: 180 years of Heltonville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Heltonville’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewTimber Management: Types - Illinois: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Heltonville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Heltonville.

Read it all →

Heltonville was platted in 1845. It was named for its founder, Andrew Helton, who had opened a store at the site some time before 1839. The Heltonville post office was established in 1846.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Heltonville, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Timber Management: Types - IllinoisDate?Timber Management: Types - Illinois
Today1 recent
Heltonville, Indiana2016Heltonville, Indiana
On the map

Heltonville on the map, 1934 to 1980

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

Heltonville on the 1934 USGS mapHeltonville on the 1958 USGS mapHeltonville on the 1980 USGS map1934Bedford 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 Heltonville.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Timber Management: Types - Illinois
Retake this viewTimber Management: Types - Illinois

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Heltonville’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Questions about Heltonville’s history

What year was Heltonville founded?

The Heltonville post office opened in 1846, 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 →
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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), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.