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Brinksburg

Ghost town · Jo Daviess County, Illinois

Miles quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1935, 1:62,500)
Miles quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1935, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Brinksburg is a ghost town in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. It is one of 8 former communities in Jo Daviess County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 2nd among the 78 Illinois counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Brinksburg as a historical populated place on the Green Island topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 42.1950° N, 90.3115° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleGreen Island
Elevation612 ft
Nearest living townHanover, IL
Distance to it4.6 miles
GNIS feature ID1815766
Coordinates42.19502, -90.31152

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Brinksburg is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Hanover, IL (population 847), about 4.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 612 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Brinksburg?

Brinksburg is in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, at 42.1950, -90.3115.

How many ghost towns are in Jo Daviess County?

Jo Daviess County, Illinois has 8 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.