Elsah’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Elsah. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗James Semple, a local lawyer, prominent politician and United States Senator from Illinois, founded Elsah in 1853 and offered free lots to anyone who built houses with stone from his quarry. It is believed that he named the village of Elsah after Ailsa Craig, the last outcropping his family saw as they departed Scotland for the United States. By 1861, the village had grown to its current size, as geographic and economic limitations prevented further expansion.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Elsah’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elsah’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewEdgar Ames sitting on a porch at …, c. 1895: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Elsah
See all 20 →
Elsah, decade by decade
1990s
unknown1 item
2 historic places in Elsah
Elsah has 2 listings on the National Register, and they protect 72 historic buildings, because Elsah Historic District alone counts 48. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier, which fewer than 3% of listings reach.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Edgar Ames sitting on a porch at Notchcliff, Elsah (Ill.), ca. 1890s (c. 1895) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.