Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

From the record

“The Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District is a national historic district in Princeton, Illinois. Centered on South Main Street and the Bureau County Courthouse, the district is the older of the two downtown areas in Princeton, with the other being on North Main Street.”
Wikipedia article Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 19 National Register listings published here for Bureau County · listed in 2018 · category: District.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. Primarily 500 & 600 blks. of S Main St. & Courthouse Sq., Princeton, 61356
When was it listed? January 2018
Category. district
Township. Princeton township
National Register reference number. 100001969 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

The ground it stands on

16,791 words

The chapter on Princeton Township in Sketches of the Early Settlement and Present Advantages of Princeton, Including Valuable Statistics, Etc. Also, a Brief Sketch of Bureau County, and a Business Directory, published 1857 names Princeton. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

Hampshire Colony Congregational Church. Organized at Northampton, Mass., March 23rd, 1831, and settled in Princeton, July 6th, 1831. Number of members at the time of settlement, 6 ; present number of resident members, 160. This church has had but three settled ministers. Rev. Lucien Farnham commenced his labors in 1833, and was installed first pastor, October 21st, 1835, and continued as such until April, 1839. Rev. Owen Lovejoy commenced preaching October, 1838, and was installed as pastor November 7th, 1839, and continued his relation as such until January, 1856, a period of seventeen years. Rev. N. A. Keyes was stated supply during the year 1856. Rev. Samuel D. Cochran, present pastor, was settled in January, 1857. The church has built two houses of worship - the first was a framed building ; the second, a brick building, 44 by 65, erected in 1848, and which was thought to be sufficiently large for many years to come, but is now too small, and arrangements will probably soonb^made for enlarging or building anew.

Passage source: Sketches of the Early Settlement and Present Advantages of Princeton, Including Valuable Statistics, Etc. Also, a Brief Sketch of Bureau County, and a Business Directory, published 1857.

Organized October, 1833. It was then a part of Princeton Circuit ; Rev. William Royal was then pastor. Number of members at tin- time of organization, 8 ; present number of resident members, 73. In July, 1851, it was made a Station, Rev. M. P. Sweet, pastor, who continued this relation till October, 1853. He was followed by Rev. J. 0. Gilbert for one year. Rev. J. W. Stogdill was his successor for two years, to September, 1856. He was followed by the present pastor, Rev. Silas Searl. In 1845 they erected a brick house of worship, which they still occupy.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Princeton Township - 16,791 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Underwood Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Walnut Pit Walnut S & G Co.	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Wyanet Sand & Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Bureau County

Storms near this property

60 of 93 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Princeton, the town this property stands in, in 93 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 48 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 9 flash flood, 4 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
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).
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	Flash Flood	Princeton	$100,000	Water 12 inches deep on roads
May 2003	Heavy Rain	Princeton	$100,000	no account filed
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.
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.
April 2003	Hail	Princeton	$50,000	no account filed
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$30,000	no account filed
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.
April 1997	Tornado (F1)	Princeton	$20,000	no account filed
May 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$5,000	Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew a door 50 to 60 yards into a house and blew down a small shed about 2 miles south of Princeton, IL around 804 pm CDT May 22.
July 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$5,000	Numerous limbs 6 inches in diameter down across city. Several trees down with power lines down.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$5,000	Power lines down near the 52 mile marker on I-80
May 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$2,000	The county emergency manager reported power lines and trees down from Princeton to La Moille along route 34.
March 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$2,000	power pole down on Backbone Rd
June 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$2,000	Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines.
August 2006	Lightning	Princeton	$1,000	A lightning strike took the power out across most of the city.
October 2006	Hail	Princeton	$1,000	On I-180 just south of Princeton, ping pong size hail cracked a windshield.
May 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	$1,000	no account filed
March 2026	Hail	Princeton	-	The time of the event was estimated using radar.
March 2025	Funnel Cloud	Princeton	-	A clear video of a funnel was received.
July 2025	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	A public report of street flooding via MPING.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Large tree snapped at base and over a fence post. The of time of the event was estimated using radar.
July 2025	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	The Emergency Manager reported that the road was completely covered with water that was a couple of feet deep. Water was also in the yards across this area. .
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Emergency manager reported that a utility pole was snapped near Rt 26 and Progress Drive. Time of the event was estimated based on radar.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Law Enforcement shared reports of several trees and power lines down throughout the county.
June 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Trees downed in town by thunderstorm winds.
March 2023	Hail	Princeton	-	Relayed by National Weather Service Chicago.
July 2022	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	The Emergency Manager reported that several roads in town were impassable due to high water.
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	The NWS in Chicago relayed a public report of a 12 inch diameter tree down.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A trained spotter in northwest Princeton reported that power was out on the northwest side of town. There was a 2 inch diameter tree limb down in the driveway. They also reported pea sized hail and heavy rain.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	The COOP Observer reported that a tree was down over the street and that several smaller branches were also down.
June 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	The Emergency Manager reported numerous trees down in town with power outages.
June 2020	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	The Emergency Manager reported water 6 to 8 inches deep flowing over the streets in town, making driving difficult if not impossible.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A public report of 2 inch diameter tree branches down was received.
June 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A tree was reported down, on power lines which caused them to arc.
September 2019	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	Several homes had 1 to 2 feet water in basements, due to 5.90 inches of rain.
July 2018	Flash Flood	Princeton	-	Local law enforcement reported street flooding and water backing up into houses.
April 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	The emergency manager reported two 24 to 36 inch trees snapped in town along with 5 to 10 other trees across the east side of Princeton. A power pole was also blown on to the roof of a nearby building which caused power outages in the city.
June 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Trees and power lines were blown down. The time was estimated from radar data.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A trained spotter reported a 3 inch diameter tree limb was down.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Law enforcement reported a semi trailer blown onto its side between Princeton and Dover.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	The emergency manager reported a tree down in town blocking a lane.
May 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Law enforcement reported trees blown down and blocking roadways in Princeton.
July 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A trained spotter reported tree limbs and power lines down in Princeton. Two 5 inch diameter pine trees were also blown over.
April 2011	Hail	Princeton	-	Ping pong ball sized hail fell in Princeton, IL at 1005 pm CDT April 3.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 85 mph blew down several trees in Princeton, IL around 957 pm July 24. A power outage was observed in Princeton, IL, Walnut, IL, and Ohio, IL.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	An 82 mph wind gust was measured in Princeton, IL around 950 pm July 24.
May 2008	Hail	Princeton	-	Quarter-sized hail fell about one mile west southwest of Princeton, IL around 10:35 pm May 31.
May 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Winds estimated to be 60 mph blew down some small limbs in Princeton, IL around 1:25 am.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	A wind gust measuring 84 mph was recorded in Princeton, IL around 700 am July 21.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph were observed in Princeton, IL at 2:31 pm June 15.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph blew down numerous large trees up to 3 feet in diameter in and around Princeton, IL at 705 am July 21.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down several tree limbs in Princeton, IL around 700 am July 21. A power outage was also observed.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew down some 4 to 5 inch diameter tree branches about 1 mile northeast of Princeton, IL at 659 am July 21.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Princeton	-	Winds estimated to be 60 mph blew down some tree branches and small limbs near Princeton, IL.
April 2006	Hail	Princeton	-	dime size hail
May 2006	Hail	Princeton	-	A spotter reported mainly pea size hail with a few dime size stones.

Every storm recorded in Bureau County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Hampshire Colony Congregational Church	0.1 miles	2018
Colonel George H. Paddock House	0.2 miles	2021
Richard M. Skinner House	0.6 miles	1983
Greenwood Cottage	0.8 miles	1983
Owen Lovejoy Homestead	0.8 miles	1973
Oakland Cemetery Historic District	1.0 miles	2021

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 100001969 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Bureau County	All 19 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
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.