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Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 1Photo: Gidonb · CC BY 3.0
–Not graded
History · Apple River Township

Apple River Township’s post office opened in 1828, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1911 on and the census since 1880.

1828first post office
1on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Gidonb · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Apple River Township began

When was Apple River Township founded?

1828

The Apple River Township post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 626 in 18802020 census: 459198 years
Founding year: the first Apple River Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Apple River 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 Apple River Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Apple River Township’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1975. Watch Apple River Township change.Deep rootsA post office since 1828: 198 years of Apple River Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Apple River Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Apple River Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Apple River Township.

Read it all →

The first home built in Apple River was by a man known as Daniel Robbins in 1832. By 1854 the Illinois Central Railroad was built through the township, the same year as the town's first general store owned by J. M. Irvine. Despite a vote being held in 1868, Apple River would not be incorporated as a village until 1870.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Apple River Township on the map, 1911 to 1975

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

Apple River Township on the 1911 USGS mapApple River Township on the 1936 USGS mapApple River Township on the 1968 USGS mapApple River Township on the 1975 USGS map1911Elizabeth 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 Apple River Township.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Apple River Township in 1878

Passages that mention Apple River Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

After the adoption of the township system in 1853, and up to September, 1858, Apple River Township was included in Thompson Township, and C. C. Thompson was the first Supervisor. At that date, however, a new township was created, and called Apple River. It was created out of fractional township 29,…
The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion ... history of the Northwest, history of Illinois ... Con1878 · page 564Read the page →
Read the text

After the adoption of the township system in 1853, and up to September, 1858, Apple River Township was included in Thompson Township, and C. C. Thompson was the first Supervisor. At that date, however, a new township was created, and called Apple River. It was created out of fractional township 29, north of range 3 east, and was taken from the Town of Thompson. Wm. F. Taylor was the first Supervisor. At a later period, a mile strip of territory was taken from Warren Township and attached to Apple River, including the Village of Apple River. After this change, Hiram DeGraff was the first Supervisor.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Apple River Township, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Stone barn in2014Stone barn inFirst Presbyterian Church2014First Presbyterian ChurchGidonb St. John's Wedding Chapel in Oak Hill Jo Daviess County Illinois2008Gidonb St. John's Wedding Chapel in Oak Hill Jo Davie…Gidonb Horsefarm on Stagecoach Trail in Apple River Township2008Gidonb Horsefarm on Stagecoach Trail in Apple River T…Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 22008Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 2Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 12008Gidonb Apple River Illinois in Winter 1ILMap-doton-AppleRiver2005ILMap-doton-AppleRiver
On the National Register

1 historic place in Apple River 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.

People over time

Apple River Township, census by census

010020030040050060070018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 626

Between 347 and 626 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Apple River Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Hudson Mound SchoolschoolMcFadden SchoolschoolMead SchoolschoolMount Hope Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Apple River Township
Saint Joseph

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.

Apple RiverIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWarren Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townScales Mound Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townThompson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Apple River Township’s history

What year was Apple River Township founded?

The Apple River Township post office opened in 1828, 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 →
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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 Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.