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History · Litchfield · established 1856

170 years of Litchfield, in pictures

Postcards, papers and photographs of Litchfield from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

1856established
5old photos & papers
6historic places
10famous people
From Litchfield’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Litchfield’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 historic places in Litchfield

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
11
each building in a district counts
first listed
1990
Samuel Moody Grubbs House
in Illinois
#48
by listings
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Classical Revival2
Late Victorian1
Second Empire1
Industrial1
Minimal Traditional1
Tudor Revival1
All 6 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Litchfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Litchfield.

Read it all →

Litchfield was platted in October 1853, and was originally named "Huntsville",

Earlier, Hardinsburg, about 2 miles (3 km) to the southwest, had been founded about 1850. Both towns were created in anticipation of the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad. Hardinsburg grew to about 50 people by 1854; but when it became clear that the railroad was going through Huntsville instead of Hardinsburg, many of the buildings in Hardinsburg were pulled across the prairie on runners to Huntsville beginning in January 1854, and most of the residents moved to the new site as well, becoming Litchfield's first residents. The railroad reached Huntsville in the autumn of 1864, and within two more years Hardinsburg had substantially disappeared.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Litchfield

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Timeline

Litchfield, 1856 to 1936

Woven from the archive, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856
    FoundingLitchfield is established
  3. 1861Born hereSamuel Wesley Stratton is born here
  4. 1873BuiltSamuel Moody Grubbs House is built
  5. 1884Born hereBelva Gaertner is born here
  6. 1892Born hereBruce Campbell Hopper is born here
  7. 1899Born hereJohn J. Mescall is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1908In the archiveAmerican Radiator Co
  10. 1935BuiltAriston Cafe is built
  11. 1936BuiltBelvidere Cafe, Motel and Gas Station is built
By decade

Litchfield, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

American Radiator Co
Retake this viewAmerican Radiator Co, 1908

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Litchfield’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Litchfield’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Stories next door

History across the town line

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Weigh in
Has Litchfield changed for the better?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

Start a conversation

From the Library of Congress (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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