The story
Read it all →How Peru came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Peru.
Peru was founded in 1870. It was named by E. R. Cutler, president of the town company, for his hometown of Peru, Illinois.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Peru
Peru’s post office opened in 1870, and 53% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1885 on and the census since 1880.
1870first post office
0on the National Register
53%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Quick answers
How Peru began, and where its name came from
When was Peru founded?
1870
The Peru post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 135 in 18802020 census: 101156 years
How did Peru get its name?
Peru was named by E. R. Cutler, president of the town company, for his hometown of Peru, Illinois.
Founding year: the first Peru post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Peru’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 Peru are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18854 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1985. Watch Peru change.Old housesHalf of Peru’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 628 in 1930; 101 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Peru’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Peru’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Peru on the map, 1885 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Peru. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1885Sedan sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Peru.
Timeline
Peru, 1870 to 1930
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
By decade
Peru, decade by decade
Today2 recent
2026
2005Every building
Peru, building by building, 1905–1912
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1905Sheet 1 of 1Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
People over time
Peru, census by census
Peaked at 628 in 1930; 101 people lived here in 2020.
13 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Peru’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →2 famous people were born in Peru
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Questions about Peru’s history
What year was Peru founded?
The Peru post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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), Wikipedia, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.