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History · Belgium

Belgium’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Belgium. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Belgium is a village in Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. It is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area of Danville, Illinois. The population was 358 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 404 to 358 (-11%). Half of its homes were built before 1959.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Belgium yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Belgium’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Belgium’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
By decade

Belgium, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Belgium is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Belgium has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is First National Bank Building in Danville, 4.3 miles away.

Belgium and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Belgium. Tap a dot.
First National Bank BuildingStone Arch BridgeAdams BuildingFithian HouseFischer TheaterUnited States Post Office and Court House

Closest to Belgium

First National Bank BuildingDanville · Building4.3miStone Arch BridgeDanville · Structure4.5miAdams BuildingDanville · Classical Revival4.6miFithian HouseDanville · Building4.6miFischer TheaterDanville · Classical Revival · Built 18844.7mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. First National Bank Building’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Belgium?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Belgium’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Westville📜 Tilton📜 Danville📜 Catlin
The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Belgium, ILView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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