83 topographic sheets cover 48 settlements here, and 19 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
19 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark · the county-history sources name 3 people · people the book names include Arthur Bryant (Princeton Township, 1857) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Allen School | building | 1996 | 96000081 |
 | First Congregational Church of LaMoille | building | 1996 | 96000059 |
 | First State Bank of Manlius | building | 1975 | 75000639 |
 | Greenwood Cottage | building | 1983 | 83000301 |
 | Hampshire Colony Congregational Church | building | 2018 | 100002821 |
 | Hennepin Canal Historic District | district | 1978 | 78003433 |
 | Lone Tree School | building | 2004 | 04000418 |
 | Owen Lovejoy Homestead | building | 1973 | 73000690 |
 | Oakland Cemetery Historic District | district | 2021 | 100006864 |
 | Old Danish Church | building | 1973 | 73000691 |
 | Colonel George H. Paddock House | building | 2021 | 100007222 |
 | Princeton Chapter House | building | 1980 | 80001338 |
 | Princeton North Main Street Historic District | district | 2018 | 100001968 |
 | Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District | district | 2018 | 100001969 |
 | Red Covered Bridge | structure | 1975 | 75000640 |
 | Richard M. Skinner House | building | 1983 | 83000302 |
 | Stevens House | building | 1992 | 92001537 |
 | Village Hall | building | 2013 | 12001112 |
 | Wood-Tellkamp House | building | 1995 | 94001599 |
Bureau County has 1 covered bridge on the National Register. Each is a listed structure with a federal nomination on file.
| Red Covered Bridge | Listed 1975 |
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 16 of them, burning about 232 acres. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2014 | Debris and open burning | 200 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 14-0000020 |
| 31 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000034 |
| 1 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000035 |
| 17 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000065 |
| 20 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000028 |
| 3 May 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000051 |
| 5 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000044 |
| 30 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | 15-0000032 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 487 reports for this county, causing 1 death, 2 injuries and about $10,066,000 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 230 |
| Hail | 157 |
| Tornado | 46 |
| Flash Flood | 26 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 |
| Flood | 5 |
| Lightning | 5 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1951 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 1 killed, 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Lightning | Dalzell | 1 hurt | Lightning struck a home in Dalzell, resulting in a fire and a minor injury to a person inside the home. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F3) | Neponset | $3,000,000 | This tornado was first reported near Neponset at 1730 CDT - near highway 92 by 1800 CDT and photographed just west of Walnut at 1815 CDT. Photographs taken by Kevin Hladik verified that at least two tornadoes were on the ground at the same time in the Walnut area. The tornadoes appeared to be several hundred yards apart. The Melvin "Red" Donovan farm had some of the most extensive damage including their two story farm house that was totally destroyed. Most of the house debris was little more than kindling wood. The basement was almost entirely filled with tornado debris so thankfully the Donovans were not home when the tornado struck. Damage was estimated at $300,000 to $500,000 in the Walnut area alone. Two sheriff squad cars were dented by golf ball-size hail as deputies were tracking the tornadoes. On one of the cars the windshield and one headlight were broken out. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Princeton | $2,000,000 | Also reported by emergency manager, law enforcement, and the fire department.Hail across Princeton ranged from 1.00 inch to 2.75 inches with the most significant hail damage on the south side of the city. State police also reported golfball sized hail (1.75 inch) at the Princeton exit on Interstate 80 (exit 56). |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Princeton | $250,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 85 mph caused widespread wind damage across the central and southern parts of Princeton, IL between 950 pm and 1000 pm July 24. Several trees were blown down or uprooted. An outdoor stage was destroyed. A section of roof of a funeral home was ripped off. Several telephone poles were broken south of town. About 3 or 4 buildings were destroyed about 1/4 mile south of town. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Princeton | $250,000 | Heavy rains caused flash flooding of parts of Bureau County during the afternoon of September 13.||In Princeton, several streets, yards, and basements were flooded.||South of Princeton, several area creeks were flooded and flood waters approached Route 26. |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ohio | $250,000 | Old Opera House destroyed |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Neponset | $250,000 | no account filed |
| March 1976 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1975 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1973 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $200,000 | The damage produced by this tornado was mainly restricted to out buildings. Some homes received minor damage. |
| July 2009 | Tornado (EF1) | Princeton Piper Arpt | $150,000 | On the evening of July 24, a line of severe thunderstorms moved through Bureau County. This line intensified over Princeton, IL producing a series of down-bursts which resulted in straight-line winds of 80 to 90 mph and the formation of a brief EF1 tornado with wind speeds estimated to be around 105 mph. The tornado formed in a field southeast of town around 950 pm and tracked east southeast where it caused damage to a farmstead near Highway 26. It dissipated in a field east of Highway 26 around 955 pm. The farm had one barn completely destroyed. Debris from the barn damaged the house and some vehicles. A two by six board was driven into the side of the garage. A grain bin just north of the house was also destroyed. Trees and power poles at the property were snapped. |
| April 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Providence | $150,000 | 32 x 48 foot barn destroyed |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Yorktown | $100,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph flattened a pole barn, damaged some grain bins, blew a tree down, and moved an irrigator at a farm just north of Yorktown, IL at 1118 am CDT May 29. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Depue | $100,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds uprooted a large tree, toplling it on the neighboring house. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dover | $100,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph blew a 3 foot diameter tree down across county road 2400E 1 mile north of Route 34 north of Dover, IL around 629 pm June 19. In addition, a farmstead sustained damage to trees, the residence, and a machine shed. Near the intersection of 2075N and 2400E a garage was destroyed and a porch and some sheds had their roofs ripped off. |
| May 2003 | Flash Flood | Princeton | $100,000 | Water 12 inches deep on roads |
| May 2003 | Heavy Rain | Princeton | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Van Orin | $75,000 | Mesocyclone passed right over the town with the first tornado dissipating just north of town. The second tornado developed almost immediately just south of town. Damage to several buildings occurred with many trees and power lines downed. |
| July 2003 | Lightning | Princeton | $70,000 | No power & 911 system out |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Princeton | $50,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 65 to 70 mph downed power lines, uprooted trees, and destroying fences. East Thompson Street and Euclid Avenue were particularly hard-hit with numerous trees, branches, and power lines down. A riding lawn mower was overturned, and the local newspaper reported that a boat was lodged in a tree. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Zearing | $50,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph toppled a corn crib and blew down several tree limbs 5 miles west northwest of Ladd, IL at 551 pm June 23. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Princeton | $50,000 | A downburst occurred mainly across the northern part of the city near the conclusion of the large hail. The downburst combined with the large hail caused considerable damage to property. Numerous trees, tree limbs, and power lines were downed blocking roads. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Bureau | $50,000 | Hail was mainly pea to quarter (1.00 inch) size with some golfball (1.75 inch) and a few baseball (2.75 inch) stones. |
| May 2003 | Hail | La Moille | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Zearing | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Princeton | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mineral | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | $40,000 | Numerous reports of trees & power lines down |
| May 2011 | Flash Flood | Cherry | $30,000 | Heavy rains of 4 to 5 inches caused some flash flooding along a creek running through Cherry, IL during the evening of May 25. The flood waters were over 3 feet deep in a resident's back yard and about 2 feet deep in the homeowner's finished basement. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cherry | $30,000 | Winds estimated to be 65 mph knocked down tree limbs, damaged about half of the shingles on a house, and dented and lifted a 50,000-bushel grain bin at the Joyce Gillan farm just south of Cherry, IL around 1:40 am on May 26th. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Spring Vly | $30,000 | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Princeton | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ladd | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down several power poles along the east bound lanes of Interstate 80 between mile marker 70 and 71 near Ladd, IL at 653 pm CDT June 21. A shed was also blown onto the shoulder of the interstate. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spring Vly | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down several trees and 4 power poles in spring Valley, IL at 645 pm CDT June 21. A power outage was also observed. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wyanet | $25,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew a semi truck over on Interstate 80 about 6 miles west of Princeton, IL at 436 pm July 10. |
| October 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Bureau | $25,000 | Strong winds estimated at 70 mph caused considerable damage to the Village of Bureau. Trees were downed throughout the village. Windows were broken out of a house on Chicago Street. On Rock Island Street, a tree was blown down on a garage, causing the garage to collapse on a vehicle inside. Fortunately nobody was inside the vehicle at the time. Headstones in Greenwood Cemetery were damaged by fallen trees, and a local school had roof tiles and an outdoor security light blown off. |
| November 1975 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1967 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1956 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 1956 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | La Moille | $20,000 | Hailstone was measured |
| July 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Van Orin | $20,000 | Rated high F0 |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Princeton | $20,000 | Severe winds downed numerous trees and damaged a large storage building. A few other buildings were also damaged by falling trees. |
| May 1995 | Tornado (F0) | Sheffield | $20,000 | A tornado touched down just on the edge of town causing severe damage to a large barn on the Robert Vander-Meersch farm. Some trees were also twisted and damaged at this time. The short damage path of this tornado skipped into town where it destroyed several out buildings near the school. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Milo | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Tornado (F1) | Princeton | $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Kasbeer | $15,000 | A survey completed with assistance from Bureau County Emergency Management showed a short tornado damage path with damage mainly to trees and a machine shed. Tornado winds were estimated at 90 mph. |
| September 1999 | Lightning | Depue | $15,000 | Lightning was blamed for a blaze which partially damaged a hog confinement building. Lightning struck the building and blew a hole in the propane gas line, igniting the fire. Approximately 50 feet on the south side of the building was damaged while some sheeting on the roof buckled under the intense heat from the blaze. The building housed 500 hogs, none of which were injured or killed. |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Manlius | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Neponset | $12,000 | Winds estimated around 100 mph. |
| June 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Neponset | $12,000 | Winds estimated around 100 mph. |
| June 2013 | Tornado (EF0) | Van Orin | $10,000 | Over a dozen large pine trees were downed, including several that had been snapped across two farmsteads. There was minor damage to one of the homes from a tree falling on it. In addition, the corn crop was severely bent between the two properties. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | La Moille | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph destroyed a small barn about 1 mile south of La Moille, IL around 830 pm CDT May 22. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Depue | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph snapped some power poles in Depue, IL at 1115 am May 31. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Walnut | $10,000 | Golf ball-sized hail fell in Walnut, IL around 10:20 pm May 31 damaging the roof and siding of the water treatment plant and stripping leaves off of some nearby trees. Delayed report. Time estimated. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Malden | $10,000 | Wind gusts estimated to be 70 to 75 mph blew down some small trees and power lines near Malden, IL at 704 am July 21. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 26 workings inside this county. 5 still produce and 21 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 24 |
| Zinc | 1 |
| Lead | 1 |
| Phosphorus-Phosphates | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depue Phosphoric Acid Plant | Phosphorus-Phosphates | Past Producer | 1973 | |
| New Jersey Zinc Depue Plant | Zinc, Lead | Past Producer | ||
| Andrews Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bonucci Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bureau Rawson Plant #6 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| C. Hansen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Depue White City Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Dieci Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Embs Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Fink Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| G. Mccable Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Gross Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Manlius Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Obcrhaus Pit & Portable Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Quality Sand & Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Seaton Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Sendelbach Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Sitterly Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Stroude Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Underwood Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Walnut Pit #2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Walnut Pit Walnut S & G Co. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wyanet Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wyanet Pit B. Baughn | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wyanet Sand & Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Yucus Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
History of Bureau County, Illinois devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 10 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
| Shape and position in the county | Township | Settlements in it | Length | Sections |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dover Township | Greenoak, Limerick | 1,628 words | 0 | |
| Fairfield Township | Love, Thomas, Yorktown | 595 words | 1 | |
| Hall Township | Churchill, Dalzell, Hegeler, Hicks Corners, Ladd, Marquette, Ottville, Seatonville, Spring Valley, Webster Park | 1,560 words | 1 | |
| La Moille Township | La Moille, Van Orin | 617 words | 0 | |
| Mineral Township | Mineral | 395 words | 0 | |
| Neponset Township | Neponset | 1,998 words | 1 | |
| Ohio Township | Kasbeer, Ohio | 814 words | 1 | |
| Princeton Township | Princeton | 16,791 words | 45 | |
| Walnut Township | Walnut | 509 words | 1 | |
| Wyanet Township | Wyanet | 385 words | 0 |
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 51 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1: Introductory | 1,848 words |
| Chapter 2: The Northwest Territory. Illinois | 10,265 words |
| Chapter 3: Early Settlement of the County | 6,066 words |
| Chapter 4: Early Settlement Continued | 7,487 words |
| Chapter 5: Black Hawk War | 12,141 words |
| Chapter 6: Organiz.\tion of the County | 7,037 words |
| Chapter 7: Imci.kjloxs | 12,815 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 8 of those read) | 11,122 words |
| Chapter 8: Educational | 4,206 words |
| Chapter 9: The Press | 3,284 words |
| Chapter 10: Couhts and Bar | 3,448 words |
| Chapter 11: Legislative | 4,456 words |
| Chapter 14: Banking | 1,360 words |
| Chapter 18: The Civil War | 11,585 words |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 17 of those read) | 6,796 words |
| Biographical sketches | 444,856 words in 28 parts |
Everyone History of Bureau County, Illinois stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1885.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Concord township · 61314 · Buda quadrangle
10 sheets, 1921 to 1985
No longer a settlement
Leepertown township · 61315 · On Old Channel Big Bureau Creek · Depue quadrangle
13 sheets, 1893 to 1985
Greenville township · 61346 · On Walnut Creek · New Bedford quadrangle
10 sheets, 1949 to 1985
Hall township · 61362 · On Spring Creek · Spring Valley quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1985
Hall township · 61362 · On Spring Creek · Spring Valley quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1985
The vanished settlements of Bureau County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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