Decatur’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold just one old photo of Decatur. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Decatur was the first county seat of Decatur County, until 1853, when the seat was transferred to Leon.
In 2023, the city council had the city's name clarified through a vote in the regular city election (public measure) as previously there are documents calling it both Decatur and Decatur City. Upon the certification of that election in November 2023, the city is officially named the city of Decatur.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Decatur’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Decatur’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewDecatur, Raised Area, 1937: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Decatur
See all 1 →Decatur, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Decatur is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Decatur has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Grand River Bridge in Decatur, 2.7 miles away.
Decatur and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Decatur, Raised Area (1937) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.