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Hamilton County, Illinois

44 topographic sheets cover 31 settlements here, and 4 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

4 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Illinois within the United States
Hamilton County within Illinois

What the record shows

  • 391 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 4 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 4 buildings.
  • 2 of the 4 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 31 populated places in this county; 31 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

4

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 PropertyType ListedReference
Cloud State Bankbuilding197878001149
Aaron G. Cloud Housebuilding197878001150
Chalon Guard and Emma Blades Cloud Housebuilding200909000026
St. James Episcopal Churchbuilding199594001602

Wildfire, 2001 to 2020

7 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 7 of them, burning about 17 acres. None started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3
Recreation and ceremony1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
16 March 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIllinois Division of Forestry ResourcesRICHARDSON
17 November 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry Resources2020-03170
17 May 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois Division of Forestry Resources2017018
25 June 2003Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
21 July 2001Debris and open burningunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
30 November 2002Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named
21 November 2001Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIllinois State Fire Marshal's Officenot named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1957 to 2025

60 of 179 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 179 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 9 injuries and about $11,634,050 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind70
Hail44
Flash Flood31
Flood15
Tornado12
Heavy Rain5
Funnel Cloud2

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
December 1957Tornado (F3)not stated4 hurt, $250,000no account filed
December 1957Tornado (F3)not stated3 hurt, $250,000no account filed
March 1964Tornado (F2)not stated2 hurt, $25,000no account filed
April 1996Tornado (F3)Piopolis$2,800,000no account filed
June 1990Tornado (F4)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
January 1989Tornado (F2)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
April 2002HailDahlgren$750,000Golf ball size hail fell across parts of Hamilton County in a swath extending from Dahlgren southeast across the Mcleansboro area. Hundreds of homes and vehicles were damaged.
March 2008FloodDahlgren$340,000Illinois Route 142 was closed near Broughton. Illinois 242 was closed about seven miles south of McLeansboro. Numerous smaller county roads were closed. Some damage occurred to roads.
October 1990Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
March 1982Tornado (F1)not stated$250,000no account filed
March 2023Flash FloodMc Leansboro$200,000North of Mcleansboro, State Route 242 and Blairsville Road was submerged. In Mcleansboro, there were multiple reports of culverts being washed out and sinkholes forming. Four miles northeast of Broughton, a water rescue was conducted when a vehicle went off in flood waters on Norris City Road at County Road 1550 E.
April 2011Tornado (EF1)Mc Leansboro$150,000Hundreds of trees were uprooted, and a small grain bin was destroyed. Peak winds were estimated near 90 mph. The average path width was 150 yards.
March 2020Tornado (EF1)Dahlgren$125,000The tornado started in extreme eastern Jefferson County. The tornado moved across the northwest side of Dahlgren in Hamilton County. Several homes sustained roofing or soffit damage. One home had about a quarter of its roof removed and tossed about 50 yards. A few barns were damaged. Two travel trailers were overturned. Dozens of mature trees were snapped or uprooted. Peak winds were estimated near 110 mph.
February 2014HailMc Leansboro$100,000Some homes on the south side of Mcleansboro had damage from wind-blown hail. Holes were poked in shutters and siding.
April 1996Flash FloodDahlgren$100,000no account filed
August 2024Thunderstorm WindBlairsville$90,000A powerful line of storms surged southeastward through northeastern Hamilton County causing extensive damage. Large sections of metal roofing from a long farm building blew off at County Rd 1300 E, while a smaller metal roof section blew off at County Rd 1700 N/County Rd 1440 E. A row of 10 power lines snapped on Blairsville Rd/County Rd 1800 N. West of Bungay, several trees were blown down in a diverging pattern. On County Rd 1800 N, southeast of Bungay, a large section of roofing was removed from a farm building with a side wall fallen over and an irrigation system was damaged.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindDahlgren$80,000Numerous large tree limbs four inches or more in diameter were blown down throughout the village. Several large mature trees were down. Utility crews estimated twenty trees were down. One garage was slightly damaged by a falling tree. Illinois Highway 142 was blocked for a short time due to a fallen tree.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$75,000Several buildings at the courthouse square downtown were damaged. A large section of roof was lifted off one of the buildings and deposited on the sidewalk. Adjacent structures received less significant roof damage. Several power lines were down, and a window was broken. On the southwest side of Mcleansboro, a food store lost part of its roof. A newspaper building sustained some roof damage and a broken window, allowing rainwater to enter the building.
July 2023Flash FloodDale$50,000A family was rescued from high water in south Hamilton County. There was widespread water over roadways.
October 2001Thunderstorm WindCountywide$50,000Widespread straight-line winds around 60 MPH raked most of the county. Wind equipment at an elementary school in Mcleansboro measured 60 MPH winds. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. Some trees hit houses, blocked roads, and fell on power lines. Light poles were down in Blairsville. Near the community of Bungay, a home under construction was destroyed, and sheds were destroyed.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindCountywide$50,000no account filed
April 1996Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$50,000no account filed
September 2018Flash FloodBell Prairie City$40,000Water was over Highway 242 in several places between Mcleansboro and Interstate 64. Several cars were stranded in floodwater. A trained spotter seven miles north of Mcleansboro measured 7.21 inches in a 48-hour period.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindDale$30,000A pole barn collapsed just south of Dale. Small sheds were blown over, and a metal structure was blown over near Dale.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$30,000A microburst with peak winds up to 75 mph struck Mcleansboro. The microburst path length was about four miles, and the width was about 1.25 miles. The microburst caused wind damage across the northern parts of Mcleansboro, mainly along and north of Highway 14. A few trees and dozens of limbs were blown down, along with a few power lines. Shingles were blown off at least a couple of houses just west of Mcleansboro.
March 2006Flash FloodCountywide$30,000Some local roads were washed out due to excessive rainfall. A pickup truck drove through a washout 5 feet wide and 3 to 4 feet deep, causing a broken fender and possible damage to the frame. Road crews bladed off corn stalks that washed onto the roads and piled as high as 3 feet. One county resident reported 4 inches of rain during the afternoon.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindCountywide$30,000Many trees and large limbs were blown down across the county. In Mcleansboro, a very large tree fell across the middle of a mobile home, narrowly missing the residents inside the trailer. The trailer was destroyed. Other downed trees and power lines knocked out power to an 8-block area in Mcleansboro. The communications antennas at the police and fire departments were blown down.
May 2011FloodAden$30,000no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$25,000Trees and power lines were downed at multiple locations in McLeansboro as a thunderstorm downdraft moved through towards the northeast.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$25,000Numerous trees were blown down in the city of Mcleansboro. The estimated width of the damage area was approximately one-quarter mile, and the length was about eight city blocks. Some branches up to 14 inches were broken off, and larger trees up to 1.5 feet in diameter were knocked down. A large tree landed on a house. Tree limbs landed on a trailer and a carport. Power lines were damaged, and roads were blocked.
May 1990Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
March 2024Thunderstorm WindGarrison$20,000A downburst blew down multiple trees on County Rd 2400N west of County Rd 800E. The top of a grain bin was blown onto the roadway. Just to the east, part of a roof was blown off a machine shed in far northern Hamilton County along State Highway 242.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindPiopolis$20,000A grain bin was blown over.
February 1999Thunderstorm WindDale$20,000A barn was blown down.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindDiamond City$15,000Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down on power lines. Multiple trees were downed onto state roads and a utility pole was blown down.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$15,000Numerous trees were blown down across the southern part of the county. Some of the most concentrated damage was southwest of Mcleansboro near County Road 1100N. A carport was lifted and blown a few hundred feet.
July 2025FloodMc Leansboro Muni Ar$10,000Areal flooding remained through the afternoon following the torrential rainfall early afternoon, mainly in northwestern Hamilton County. Approximately 8 to 10 inches of water was across Highway 242 at Blairsville Road. Several secondary roads were flooded across Hamilton County.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBroughton$10,000Several trees were blown down by a thunderstorm line moving through Broughton and Dale.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$10,000Tree limbs were down on power lines. Two trees were down on a house.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindDahlgren$10,000Trees were damaged on the south end of Dahlgren. Several fields of corn sustained wind damage from Dahlgren to near Delafield. On the east side of Highway 142 east of Delafield, some large trees were uprooted. A wind gust to 64 mph was measured on a Davis weather station along the Hamilton/Jefferson County line.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindDale$10,000Trees were blown down, making Route 142 impassable near Dale.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$10,000Several trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2009Flash FloodDelafield$10,000Widespread flash flooding of many roads occurred from Mcleansboro south. A vehicle was stranded in floodwaters under the viaduct on Illinois Route 14 in Mcleansboro. The occupants were on top of the roof of their car. Rescue personnel pushed the car to safety. Another vehicle was stuck in floodwaters near a bridge in the southeast part of the county. The motorist did not require assistance.
December 2008Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$10,000Some trees and limbs were down on roadways. Power lines were down and arcing.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$10,000A building under construction in Mcleansboro was partially blown down. The roof supports of the 40-by-60 foot building fell onto a tractor used by the construction company. A large tree was blown down into power lines. Tree limbs were blown down elsewhere in the city. Just northeast of Dale, a tree fell on a vacant house, causing extensive damage to the roof and walls.
April 1998Flash FloodMc Leansboro$10,000Thunderstorms with very heavy rain flooded numerous roads, including Routes 142, 242, and a viaduct along Route 14 in McLeansboro. Illinois Route 142 was closed near Broughton for several hours. Several residents had to be rescued from their homes by emergency personnel because of flooding.
April 1996Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$10,000no account filed
May 1995Thunderstorm WindMcLeansboro$10,000no account filed
February 2023Flash FloodDale$8,000Flash flooding of roads occurred during the evening of the 8th. County Road 700 North was impassable due to high water. A couple of streets in Mcleansboro were impassable due to high water. A secondary road near Dale was also impassable. State Highways 142 and 242 were water-covered in a few spots, but passable. The flash flooding transitioned to streams by the early morning hours of the 9th. A water rescue was conducted along County Road 14 at the North Fork Saline River bridge. Rainfall amounts from 2.7 to 3 inches were reported by observers in and near Hamilton County for the 24-hour period ending early on the 9th.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindBroughton$8,000Tree and shed damage was reported. A window air conditioning unit was blown out.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindDahlgren$8,000Eight large trees were blown down. Roads were blocked.
April 2017Flash FloodFeakeyville$6,000The community of Broughton was isolated by high water. Highway 142 was closed from south of Dale to the Saline County line. Numerous secondary roads were covered by water. A couple of homes received minor flood damage in the Mcleansboro area.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindDahlgren$6,000A tree was snapped at the base and landed on a garage.
January 2008Thunderstorm WindDahlgren$6,000A garage roof was blown off.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindHoodville$6,000Downed trees blocked Highway 142 South.
August 2025Flash FloodDiamond City$5,000A vehicle was stuck in water on IL-14 at Ten Mile Rd around the time rainfall rates peaked at around 0.75'' in 15 minutes.
October 2025Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$5,000Trees were blown down in McLeansboro.
July 2025Flash FloodMc Leansboro Muni Ar$5,000Severe street flooding in McLeansboro occurred from heavy rainfall. Radar estimated hourly rainfall in McLeansboro peaked at 1, while northwestern portions of the county peaked at 1.5-2 in an hour.
June 2020Flash FloodFour Corners$5,000Highway 142 was flooded south of Mcleansboro in at least two spots. One car was stalled in high water.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindMc Leansboro$5,000Several trees were blown down along Highway 242 at County Road 1650 North.

Mines and quarries

1 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 1 working inside this county. It is closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hamilton Hwy Dept PitStonePast Producer

Every populated place in the county

31

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.

The vanished settlements of Hamilton County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.