More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #615 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Caledonia Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1880.
From Caledonia Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Caledonia Township began
When was Caledonia Township founded?
1883
The Caledonia Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Argyle (1869), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 134 in 18802020 census: 7,294143 years
How historic is Caledonia Township?
C−
More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Caledonia Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Caledonia Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Caledonia Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #615 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 Caledonia 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 Caledonia 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 still be 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 Caledonia 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 Caledonia Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1918Belvidere 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 Caledonia Township.
A post office was established as Caledonia Station in 1853, one year before the settlement was established. Caledonia Station was shortened to Caledonia in 1883. Caledonia is a literary name of Scotland. Caledonia Congregational Church was founded in 1894. In 1996, Caledonia was officially incorporated as a village.
Caledonia was struck by an EF-2 tornado on November 22, 2010, around 3:04 pm; several homes were destroyed, a grain bin collapsed, the local Elementary school was set on lockdown, and six minor injuries were reported when a bus was blown over near Argyle and Harlem Roads.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
The Caledonia Township post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Caledonia Township rank for history?
Caledonia Township is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #615 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 Caledonia Township?
5% of Caledonia 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 1998.
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 Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, 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.
1980
1980
2006
