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History · Papineau

Papineau’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
2recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Papineau is a village in Papineau Township, Iroquois County, Illinois, United States. The population was 133 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 171 to 133 (-22%). Half of its homes were built before 1956.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Papineau yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Papineau’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Papineau’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 Papineau

See all 18 →
Fred MacMurrayFred MacMurrayKankakee · 12 miAdam KinzingerAdam KinzingerKankakee · 12 miMerna KennedyMerna KennedyKankakee · 12 miPCP. C. CastWatseka · 13 miRandy SpearsRandy SpearsKankakee · 12 miDavid BruceDavid BruceKankakee · 12 mi
By decade

Papineau, 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
Today2 photos
Papineau IllinoisCommonsPapineau Illinois2007Immanuel's Evangelical Church inCommonsImmanuel's Evangelical Church in2007
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Papineau is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Papineau has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Mary's Church in Beaverville, 3.5 miles away.

Papineau and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Papineau. Tap a dot.
St. Mary's ChurchChicago Board of Trade BuildingPrairie Dell MeetinghouseKankakee State Hospital Historic DistrictHunter-Hattenburg HouseRiverview Historic District

Closest to Papineau

St. Mary's ChurchBeaverville · Built 19093.5miChicago Board of Trade BuildingBeaverville · Art Deco · Built 19304.9miPrairie Dell MeetinghouseConcord · Meetinghouse10.3miKankakee State Hospital Historic DistrictKankakee · District12miHunter-Hattenburg HouseKankakee · Queen Anne12.3mi

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. St. Mary's Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Papineau?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Papineau’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
📜 Papineau📜 Beaverville📜 Martinton📜 St. Anne

From Wikimedia Commons (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

The coffee’s 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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