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History · Bardwell

Bardwell’s post office opened in 1874, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot. Below: maps from 1901 on and the census since 1890.

1874first post office
1on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Bardwell began

When was Bardwell founded?

1874

The Bardwell post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 578 in 18902020 census: 714152 years
Founding year: the first Bardwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Bardwell’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 Bardwell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,512 in 1900; 714 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1901 to 1915, drew every building in Bardwell.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bardwell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bardwell’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
People over time

Bardwell, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,512

Peaked at 1,512 in 1900; 714 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bardwell’s Wikipedia page.

Every building

Bardwell, building by building, 1901–1915

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.

Bardwell fire insurance map, 1901, sheet 11901Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Bardwell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bardwell.

Read it all →

Bardwell was founded in 1874 when a predecessor rail line of the Illinois Central Railroad was extended to that point. It may have initially been known as "Crittenden" after Governor John J. Crittenden, but that name was already in use elsewhere in the state, so the name was changed to "Bardwell." According to some sources, "Bardwell" was the name of a railroad superintendent whose name had been applied to a railroad construction camp near the town site. Other sources suggest the name was inspired by a "boarded well" at the camp.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bardwell, 1847 to 1951

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1847Born hereThomas L. Glenn is born here
  3. 1874Post officeThe Bardwell post office opens
  4. 1890Born hereRoy Mahlon Shelbourne is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 1,512
  7. 1921Born hereClyde Ehrhardt is born here
  8. 1922Born hereMartha Stewart is born here
  9. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bardwell, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Bardwell-City-Park-church-ky2018Bardwell-City-Park-church-kyIllinois Central Caboose in2013Illinois Central Caboose inKYMap-doton-Bardwell2004KYMap-doton-Bardwell
On the map

Bardwell on the map, 1951 to 1982

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

Bardwell on the 1951 USGS mapBardwell on the 1982 USGS map1951Arlington sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bardwell.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Bardwell

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight D…
Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Stick Style1
Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight DepotStick Style

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Bardwell

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Martha StewartAmerican actress · b. 1922
Thomas L. GlennAmerican politician · b. 1847
C
Clyde EhrhardtAmerican football player · b. 1921
Roy Mahlon ShelbourneUnited States federal judge · b. 1890

Questions about Bardwell’s history

What year was Bardwell founded?

The Bardwell post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Bardwell?

One place: the Illinois Central Railroad Station and Freight Depot (listed 1976).

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 Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.