A history of Tolono,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Tolono from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Founded in the early 19th century as a result of the land-grant Illinois Central Railroad's expansion southward, Tolono was initially home to many railroad employees. Many streets bear the names of the IC's administrative staff. The original homes in the community were small and narrow filling half lots adjacent to the railroad tracks. With the intersection of an east–west railway, Tolono became a featured stop for early rail passengers. The peak of the railroad's passenger influence in Tolono occurred when Tolono became the last stop in Illinois for Abraham Lincoln as he bid farewell to his home state in a speech given from the back of his coach.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Tolono’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewBoston & Maine B&M 367 (GP39-2), 1986: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Tolono
See all 3 →
Tolono, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Tolono is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Tolono has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Frederick Squires House in Pesotum, 7 miles away.
Tolono 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 Boston & Maine B&M 367 (GP39-2) (1986) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15From Wikimedia Commons (5). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.