In 1840, Eli Gilbert dammed Rayse Creek about a mile northeast of Waltonville, near the point where the Mt.

In 1867, a settlement called Williamsburg was started, about a half mile west of Mill Town.

This was in Knob Prairie, Blissville Township, just to the north of the present town of Waltonville.

Waltonville, to the south of the knob, started as a small store owned by Rob Mannen.

The Universalist Church existed in Williamsburg prior to 1870, and moved to Waltonville before 1906.

Waltonville was for many years the smallest town in the United States to have a Universalist Church.

This may be another reflection of the numerous obscure ethnic groups that maintained an identity in the rural coal fields of Southern Illinois.

Many still identify as Polish, though, and they continue to attend St. Barbara's Catholic Church in nearby Scheller.

Illinois Route 148 passes through the southeast part of the village, leading northeast 13 miles (21 km) to Mount Vernon, the county seat, and south 8 miles (13 km) to Sesser.

Most of the developed parts of the village are in Bald Hill and Elk Prairie townships.

[citation needed] As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 422 people, 177 households, and 121 families residing in the village.