A history of Abingdon,
since 1828
Postcards, papers and photographs of Abingdon from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city was first settled in 1828. Abingdon was laid out in 1836 and was named after Abingdon, Maryland, the birthplace of its founder, Abraham Davis Swarts. It was incorporated in 1857.
In 1894 William C. Hooker of Abingdon applied for a patent on a common spring-loaded mousetrap. In June of 1907 the patent was awarded to William C. Hooker, William Armstrong, and Knox Mark.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Abingdon’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewAbingdon, Ill., Knox Co., 1874, 1874: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Abingdon
See all 7 →
Abingdon, decade by decade
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Knox Cou…1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Knox Cou…1880
DocumentNarcissa Latimer letter to Alice Latimer, February 17, 18881888
DocumentNarcissa Latimer letter to Alice Latimer, February 17, 18881888
DocumentNarcissa Latimer letter to Alice Latimer, February 17, 18881888
DocumentNarcissa Latimer letter to Alice Latimer, February 17, 188818881990s
Nothing in Abingdon is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Abingdon has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Knox County Courthouse and Hall of Records in Knoxville, 9.4 miles away.
Abingdon 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 Abingdon, Ill., Knox Co., 1874 (1874) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (11). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.