Vandalia’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Vandalia. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Vandalia was founded in 1819 as a new capital city for Illinois. The previous capital, Kaskaskia, was unsuitable because it was on the south-east border of the new state and under the constant threat of flooding. The more centrally located townsite, located in Bond County at the time, was hastily prepared for the 1820 meeting of the Illinois General Assembly. In 1821, Fayette County was created, including Vandalia.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Vandalia’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Vandalia’s history is told.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThe Men's Bible Class of the Firs…, 1911: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Vandalia, decade by decade
1940s
1990s
3 historic places in Vandalia
3 places in Vandalia are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as The Men's Bible Class of the First M.E. Church of Vandalia, Ill., W. M. Folger, teacher (1911) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.