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History · Elkhart

Elkhart’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1855established
0old images & papers
4recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Elkhart takes its name from Elkhart (or "Elk Heart") Grove, which along with Buffalo Hart was an area of woodland along the Edwards Trace. The grove's name has been attributed to its shape, resembling the heart of an elk. Prior to the forced expulsion of indigenous peoples from Illinois, a Kickapoo village was located at the grove.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Elkhart’s collection

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

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

Famous people from Elkhart

See all 2 →
Jake StahlJake StahlSportsTTTommy ThompsonSports
By decade

Elkhart, 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
Today4 photos
Elkhart Illinois village limitCommonsElkhart Illinois village limit2020Small town along the path of Route 66LOCSmall town along the path of Route 662009Small town along the path of Route 66CommonsSmall town along the path of Route 662009Elkhart TowerCommonsElkhart Tower2008
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Elkhart is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Elkhart has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Price-Prather House in Williamsville, 5.5 miles away.

Elkhart and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Elkhart. Tap a dot.
Price-Prather HouseNathan C. Ricker HouseTheodore H. O. Mattfeldt HouseMount Pulaski CourthouseRobert Buckles BarnPower Farmstead

Closest to Elkhart

Price-Prather HouseWilliamsville · Building5.5miNathan C. Ricker HouseCorwin · Building6miTheodore H. O. Mattfeldt HouseMount Pulaski · Building9.8miMount Pulaski CourthouseMount Pulaski · Building9.8miRobert Buckles BarnMount Pulaski · Building10.6mi

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. Price-Prather House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Elkhart?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Elkhart’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
📜 Elkhart📜 Hurlbut📜 Broadwell📜 Williamsville

From Wikimedia Commons (3) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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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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