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History · Ina

Ina’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

1840established
0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

Many Cherokee families settled in Ina around 1840. They were apparently refugees from the Trail of Tears. In the 1800s, Ina was jokingly referred to as "the Cherokee Reservation".

The main settlement in this area was Spring Garden, about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Ina. Spring Garden prospered from 1848 until the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad was built in 1905. After that, the population and business shifted over to the depots at Ina and Bonnie.

Crimes

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Be one of the first

Start Ina’s collection

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

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

Famous people close to Ina

See all 10 →
CFCrista FlanaganMount Vernon · 11 miAdrienne MayorAdrienne MayorBenton · 9 miWilliam L. HungateWilliam L. HungateBenton · 9 miWalt KirkWalt KirkMount Vernon · 11 miNHNate HawthorneMount Vernon · 11 miPBPercival BaileyMount Vernon · 11 mi
By decade

Ina, 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 Ina is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Ina has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is C. H. Judd House in Moores Prairie, 7.4 miles away.

Ina and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Ina. Tap a dot.
C. H. Judd HouseSesser Opera HouseFranklin County JailAppellate Court, 5th DistrictParadise Missionary Baptist ChurchWest Frankfort City Hall

Closest to Ina

C. H. Judd HouseMoores Prairie · Building7.4miSesser Opera HouseSesser · Building8.9miFranklin County JailBenton · Building10.6miAppellate Court, 5th DistrictMount Vernon · Greek Revival · Built 185412.2miParadise Missionary Baptist ChurchSt. Johns · Building15.8mi

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. C. H. Judd House’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Ina?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Ina’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
📜 Spring Garden📜 Bonnie📜 Nason📜 Elk Prairie
We left the porch light on

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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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