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History · Elkhorn

Elkhorn’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Elkhorn. 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

Elkhorn Township is one of nine townships in Brown County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 290 and it contained 153 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 346 to 290 (-16%). Half of its homes were built before 1971.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elkhorn 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 Elkhorn’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from ElkhornWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Elkhorn.Meet them →
By decade

Elkhorn, 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 Elkhorn is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Elkhorn has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Church of Christ in Perry, 6.9 miles away.

Elkhorn and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Elkhorn. Tap a dot.
Church of ChristLa Grange Lock and Dam Historic DistrictGriggsville Historic DistrictGriggsville Landing Lime KilnMount Sterling Commercial Historic DistrictFree Frank McWorter Grave Site

Closest to Elkhorn

Church of ChristPerry · Building6.9miLa Grange Lock and Dam Historic DistrictCooperstown · District11.7miGriggsville Historic DistrictGriggsville · District12.3miGriggsville Landing Lime KilnFlint · Structure14.3miMount Sterling Commercial Historic DistrictConcord · District15.5mi

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. Church of Christ’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Elkhorn?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Elkhorn’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
📜 Versailles📜 Versailles📜 Perry📜 Buckhorn
The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Elkhorn, ILBrown 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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