Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: 1 old photo or paper and old-book passages.
The De Kalb post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name.
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 De Kalb’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of De Kalb.
De Kalb was originally known as Bloomington, and under the latter name was laid out in 1839. It was renamed in 1851 for Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb, a major general in the American Revolutionary War. A post office called De Kalb has been in operation since 1840.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention De Kalb, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The settlement of De Kalb County, while not so early as some of the neighboring divisions, dates back into the twenties, though in what year the first pioneers made their appearance is now a matter of conjecture. Traces of rude log cabins were found in several places throughout the southern part of the county, where the first permanent settlers made their appearance, and the belief is current that families of hunters, trappers and adventurers, made certain localities of De Kalb a rendezvous a number of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
De Kalb — Organized February 25, 1845, and named in honor of the Baron De Kalb, of the Revolution, who fell at the battle of Camden.
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.
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 De Kalb’s page.
Retake this view · +15Nobody well known was born in De Kalb itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The De Kalb post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 (1), 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.
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