History · Hainesville

Hainesville’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1846established
0old images & papers
1recent photos

The story

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In 1838, a young boy named Elijah M. Haines (1822–1889) and his family moved from New York City to the Chicago area. In 1836, the young boy purchased a farm in Hainesville. During the winter of 1841–42, Haines taught school in Waukegan, Illinois (then known as Little Fort). In 1846, he surveyed and platted Hainesville. On February 26, 1847, the village incorporation papers were drafted. It is recorded that Elijah Haines met Abraham Lincoln in 1847. The two men met frequently and became well acquainted. It has been said that Lincoln spent the night in Hainesville a few times.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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By decade

Hainesville, 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.
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Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history

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

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Hainesville

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