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History · Carmi

Carmi’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Carmi. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1816established
2old images & papers
16recent photos
Ratcliff Inn, 1960 · Wikimedia Commons

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Carmi post office has been in operation since 1817, and then a WPA oil on canvas mural called Service to the Farmer by Davenport Griffen was first displayed there in 1939. Carmi is a biblical name.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1816Established
1871Map of White County, IllinoisMap
1960Ratcliff InnCommons
1970–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first

Start Carmi’s collection

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

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewRatcliff Inn, 1960: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Carmi

See all 10 →
Jeff StrykerJeff StrykerFilm, TV & StageJames R. WilliamsJames R. WilliamsPolitics & LawABAnita BoyerMusicEBEzra A. BurrellPolitics & LawJosh ElderJosh ElderWriting & ArtsSRSandy RiosPolitics & Law
By decade

Carmi, decade by decade

1870s1 paper
Map of White County, IllinoisMapMap of White County, Illinois1871
1960s1 item
Ratcliff InnCommonsRatcliff Inn1960
1970s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today16 photos
Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014Carmi, IllinoisCommonsCarmi, Illinois2014White County Courthouse inCommonsWhite County Courthouse in2013Robinson-Stewart HouseCommonsRobinson-Stewart House2013Robinson and Main Cross inCommonsRobinson and Main Cross in2013Ratcliff Inn atCommonsRatcliff Inn at2013National Bank of Carmi, radio headquartersCommonsNational Bank of Carmi, radio headquarters2013L. Haas StoreCommonsL. Haas Store2013James Robert Williams HouseCommonsJames Robert Williams House2013Carmi Chapter HouseCommonsCarmi Chapter House2013Carmi Carnegie libraryCommonsCarmi Carnegie library20132010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBook2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for2010
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Carmi is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Carmi has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Carmi Chapter House in Carmi, 2.2 miles away.

Carmi and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Carmi. Tap a dot.
Carmi Chapter HouseRatcliff InnRobinson-Stewart HouseL. Haas StoreJames Robert Williams HouseOld Morrison Mill

Closest to Carmi

Carmi Chapter HouseCarmi · Prairie School2.2miRatcliff InnCarmi · Federal2.5miRobinson-Stewart HouseCarmi · Building2.7miL. Haas StoreCarmi · Building2.7miJames Robert Williams HouseCarmi · Romanesque Revival2.8mi

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. Carmi Chapter House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Carmi?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Carmi’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

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ratcliff Inn (1960) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Carmi📜 Enfield📜 Heralds Prairie📜 Enfield

From Wikimedia Commons (18). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Carmi, ILWhite CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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