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History · Berreman Township

The history of Berreman Township

Below: maps from 1942 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Berreman 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 Berreman Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Berreman 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 so far

Berreman Township, in brief

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

Berreman Township is one of 23 townships in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 137 and it contained 73 housing units. It was formed from Pleasant Valley Township on February 14, 1857.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 147 to 137 (-7%).

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

Timeline

Berreman Township, 1857 to 1942

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857Post officeThe Willow post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Willow post office closes
  5. 1942On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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

Berreman Township on the map, 1942 to 1985

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

Berreman Township on the 1942 USGS mapBerreman Township on the 1985 USGS map1942Mt Carroll 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 Berreman Township.

People over time

Berreman Township, census by census

010020002020Peak: 174

Between 137 and 174 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Berreman Township

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

See all →
E
Edward Alphonso GoldmanAmerican zoologist · b. 1873
Neta Snook SouthernAmerican Pioneer Aviator · b. 1896
Charles N. FowlerAmerican politician · b. 1852
John C. McKenzieAmerican politician · b. 1860
Leo E. AllenAmerican politician · b. 1898
Wayne KingAmerican musician · b. 1901
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Willow, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Willow
Gone or out of use
Clay SchoolschoolRay SchoolschoolUnion SchoolschoolWillow Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Berreman Township
Clay

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Pleasant Valley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJefferson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWards Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFreedom TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Berreman Township’s history

Memory lane

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

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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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.