A history of Belvidere,
since 1835
Postcards, papers and photographs of Belvidere from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Before the arrival of the mostly Anglo-Americans in the 19th century, this area was long occupied by the Illinois Confederation, a loose grouping of up to 12 to 15 Native American tribes. The main tribes were the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Peoria, and Tamaroa. After trading, warfare and other encounters with French traders, who entered this area before the Anglo-Americans, their numbers declined. In large part due to the high mortality from new infectious diseases, which adversely affected Native Americans across the continent.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Belvidere’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewE&B Belvidere Terminal, 1907: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Belvidere
See all 23 →
Belvidere, decade by decade
1990s
6 historic places in Belvidere
Belvidere has 6 listings on the National Register, and they protect 79 historic buildings, because Belvidere South State Street Historic District alone counts 43.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1978Pettit Memorial Chapel
Listed 1997Belvidere High School
Listed 2000United States Post Office-Belvidere
Listed 2005Lampert-Wildflower House
Listed 2012Belvidere North State Street Historic District
Listed 2012Belvidere South State Street Historic DistrictThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as E&B Belvidere Terminal (1907) 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.