Lanark’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Lanark. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Under the auspices of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road), Daniel W. Dame purchased 500 acres (200 ha), laid out the city of Lanark, and was elected its first mayor in 1861. In 1886, 40 residents each donated one dollar to form a public library, and a primary and secondary school was completed in August 1871. On November 25, 1893, the original school was destroyed by fire.
Early in the Twentieth Century, Lanark was home to the Cotta steam car company.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Lanark’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lanark’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewLadies public toilet, 1909: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Lanark
See all 3 →
Lanark, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Lanark is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Lanark has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Nathaniel Halderman House in Mount Carroll, 7.1 miles away.
Lanark and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ladies public toilet (1909) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2) and the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.