The Blackhawk Township post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Black Hawk (1877), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 9,576149 years
How historic is Blackhawk Township?
C−
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Blackhawk Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Blackhawk Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Blackhawk Township is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #591 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Blackhawk Township’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Blackhawk Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±2.8 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Blackhawk Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Blackhawk Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1912Milan 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 Blackhawk Township.
The story so far
Blackhawk Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Blackhawk Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Blackhawk Township is located in Rock Island County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,019 and it contained 4,563 housing units. Blackhawk Township changed its name from Camden County on October 1, 1857. Quad City International Airport is partially within the township.
Its first post office opened in 1877. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 10,019 to 9,576 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Blackhawk Township, 1877 to 1912
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Blackhawk Township post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Blackhawk Township rank for history?
Blackhawk Township is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #591 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Blackhawk Township?
6% of Blackhawk Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1970.
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).
From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
