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History · Allen Township

Allen Township’s post office opened in 1866, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1958 on.

1866first post office
1on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Allen Township began

When was Allen Township founded?

1866

The Allen Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 531160 years
Founding year: the first Allen Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Allen Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Allen Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Allen Township’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Allen Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Allen Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Allen Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Allen Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Allen Township is one of thirty-seven townships in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 531 and it contained 245 housing units. Allen Township was formed from Bruce Township on an unknown date. The township bears the name of Allen Stevens, a pioneer settler.

Its first post office opened in 1866. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 584 to 531 (-9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
On the map

Allen Township on the map, 1958 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Allen Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Allen Township on the 1958 USGS mapAllen Township on the 1983 USGS mapAllen Township on the 1991 USGS map1958Odell sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Allen Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Allen Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Allen Township

Nobody well known was born in Allen Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Clyde TombaughAmerican astronomer · b. 1906
Franklin Sumner EarleAmerican mycologist · b. 1856
Frank Leslie SmithAmerican politician · b. 1867
Jerry WellerAmerican politician · b. 1957
Mabel TrunnelleAmerican actress · b. 1879
C
Clarence E. MulfordAmerican writer · b. 1883
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Conard Schoollocale

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Highland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOtter Creek TownshipIts storyC−Sunbury TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrookfield TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Allen Township’s history

What year was Allen Township founded?

The Allen Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.