Founding year: the first Catlin Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1866.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Catlin Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Catlin Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #444 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Catlin 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 Catlin 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 B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1866 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Catlin 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 Catlin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1899Danville 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 Catlin Township.
1820—First permanent settlement of Vermilion County. James Butler first settler. His place was called Butler's Point.
1822—God's Acre Cemetery, the first cemetery in Vermilion County was established. First meeting of county commissioners held at Butler's home. First Circuit Court held at home of Asa Elliott, friend of James Butler.
1823—First mill built and used in Vermilion and Champaign Counties, called a "corncracker" by James Butler. Made of a large log and stones, all constructed on a hand-made forge. Its capacity, with a muscular man as motive power, was one bushel of cracked corn in an hour.
Passages that mention Catlin Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Vermilion County, Illinois1930 · page 787Read the page →
Read the text
Herman F. Keeney attended the public schools of Catlin and entered the University of Illinois after his graduation from Catlin Township High School in 1921. He completed his university work in 1925 and began his teaching career at Reddick, Illinois, where he remained for two years as a teacher of agriculture. During 1927-29 he taught agriculture and science at Catlin Township High School, and in 1929 was appointed principal of the school.
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.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
BennettRyan
Gone or out of use
Cast AirportairportDeep Valley MinemineMount Vernon ChurchschoolPleasant RidgechurchPleasant View SchoolschoolRoss SchoolschoolSugar Grove SchoolschoolTaylor Schoolschool
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Catlin Township
AllhandsCoxDoughertyGods AcreHickmanMount VernonPateWright Family
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.
The Catlin Township post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1866.
How does Catlin Township rank for history?
Catlin Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #444 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 Catlin Township?
23% of Catlin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1967.
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), 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.
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