The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Elgin was laid out in 1878 when the railroad was extended to that point. The city was named after Elgin, in Scotland.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Be one of the first
Start Elgin’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elgin’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Elgin
See all 2 →By decade
Elgin, decade by decade
Before
2000
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 albumNational Register of Historic Places
Nothing in Elgin is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Elgin has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Benike Family Barn in Elgin, 2.9 miles away.
Elgin and the nearest listed places
Dashed line = Elgin. Tap a dot.
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. Benike Family Barn’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Elgin?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Elgin’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old placeNational 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.