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History · Arrowsmith Township

Arrowsmith Township dates to 1871, and 56% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1900.

1871founded
0on the National Register
56%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Arrowsmith Township began

When was Arrowsmith Township founded?

1871

Arrowsmith Township dates its founding to 1871 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 317 in 19002020 census: 498155 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1872.The full story ↓

What stands out about Arrowsmith 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 Arrowsmith Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Arrowsmith Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Arrowsmith Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Arrowsmith 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 Arrowsmith Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Arrowsmith Township.

Read it all →

Arrowsmith was laid out on December 7, 1871, by Charles W. Holder (1808–1887) and Owen T. Reeves (1829- ?). The founders kept their identities hidden for two years until the plat was officially recorded. Both proprietors lived in Bloomington, were experienced land dealers, and were involved in the creation of the Lafayette Bloomington and Muncie Railroad. Holder had been Jesse Fell's partner in the founding of Towanda, Illinois, was one of his partners in the development of Normal, Illinois, and the town of Holder, Illinois, would soon be named in his honor. Reeves was a Bloomington lawyer and judge who had been colonel of the short-lived 70th Illinois Infantry during the Civil War. Arrowsmith Township had voted $30,000 in bonds to support the construction of the railroad on the condition that a station be established in their township. It was at first thought that the name of the town…

ChaptersFounding of ArrowsmithOriginal town design and development

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.

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On the map

Arrowsmith Township on the map, 1952 to 1983

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

Arrowsmith Township on the 1952 USGS mapArrowsmith Township on the 1983 USGS map1952Arrowsmith 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 Arrowsmith Township.

People over time

Arrowsmith Township, census by census

01002003004001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 366

Between 276 and 366 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Arrowsmith Township
Arrowsmith TownshipGreenwoodPayne

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.

Cheney's Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMartin TownshipIts storyB+Dawson Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Arrowsmith Township’s history

What year was Arrowsmith Township founded?

In 1871, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Arrowsmith Township’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1900 counted 317 people here.

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.