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BHistory
History · Channahon Township

Channahon Township’s post office opened in 1838, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #311 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Channahon Township was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1995. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1900.

1838first post office
1on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Channahon Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Channahon Township began

When was Channahon Township founded?

1838

The Channahon Township post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1961. Three smaller post offices, Jackson Creek (1844), Millsdale (1887) and Blodgett (1898), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 261 in 19002020 census: 10,519188 years

How historic is Channahon Township?

B

More historic than 62% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Channahon Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1961.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Channahon Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Channahon Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #311 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Channahon Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1838, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19401.9% of homes (±1.3) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 8 historic buildings, 7.4 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 62%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 60%

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 Channahon Township’s 7.4 sits above most of its state (80% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1961.

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 Channahon Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1993. Watch Channahon Township change.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Channahon Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1933–1968.Deep rootsA post office since 1838: 188 years of Channahon Township.
★ What stands out · On the map

Channahon Township on the map, 1892 to 1993

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

Channahon Township on the 1892 USGS mapChannahon Township on the 1918 USGS mapChannahon Township on the 1954 USGS mapChannahon Township on the 1973 USGS mapChannahon Township on the 1993 USGS map1892Wilmington 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 Channahon Township.

Places that used to be

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

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Jackson Creek
1844–1855
Millsdale
1887–1902
Blodgett
1898–1905
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BlodgettDrummondMillsdale
Gone or out of use
Dupage FeedercanalGravel Bank Stationlocale
1cemetery inside Channahon Township
McCune

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

Channahon Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1930s to the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s–1960s18 items
HABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and Michigan Canal, Locks and Lockhouse1933HABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and…HABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and Michigan Canal, Locks and Lockhouse1933HABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and…Illinois & Michigan Canal, Locks & Lockhouse1936Illinois & Michigan Canal, Locks & LockhouseBARGES WAITING TO ENTER DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE. LOOKING WEST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 Nor…1968BARGES WAITING TO ENTER DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE. LOOKING…CONTROL STATION AND LOCK. LOOKING EAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North Lock Road1968CONTROL STATION AND LOCK. LOOKING EAST. - Illinois Wa…CONTROL STATION. DAM AT LEFT REAR. LOOKING NORTH NORTHEAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 Nor…1968CONTROL STATION. DAM AT LEFT REAR. LOOKING NORTH NORT…DETAIL OF CONTROL GATE ADJACENT TO LIFT LOCK NO. 7; THIS CONTROL GATE IS A 1980s RECONSTRUCTION. - Illinois and Michiga…1968DETAIL OF CONTROL GATE ADJACENT TO LIFT LOCK NO. 7; T…DETAIL VIEW OF DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF DAM. LOOKING NORTH. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North Loc…1968DETAIL VIEW OF DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF DAM. LOOKING NORTH.…DETAIL VIEW OF TAINTER GATE. LOOKING WEST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North Lock Road, Cha…1968DETAIL VIEW OF TAINTER GATE. LOOKING WEST. - Illinois…DOG HOUSE AND DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE. LOOKING NORTH NORTHEAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 No…1968DOG HOUSE AND DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE. LOOKING NORTH NOR…DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE DETAIL VIEW WITH DOG HOUSE. NOTE CONTROL ARM AND GEAR FOR GATE. LOOKING NORTHWEST. - Illinois Wate…1968DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE DETAIL VIEW WITH DOG HOUSE. NOTE…DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN CLOSED POSITION. LOOKING NORTH. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North L…1968DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN CLOSED POSITION. LOOKING NORT…DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN OPEN POSITION WITH BARGES IN TRANSIT. LOOKING NORTH. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock a…1968DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN OPEN POSITION WITH BARGES IN …DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN OPEN POSITION. LOOKING NORTH. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North Loc…1968DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE IN OPEN POSITION. LOOKING NORTH.…EXTERIOR OF DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATES. LOOKING EAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North Lock Roa…1968EXTERIOR OF DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATES. LOOKING EAST. - Il…LOCK VIEW. CONTROL STATION AT CENTER REAR. LOOKING EAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam , 7521 North …1968LOCK VIEW. CONTROL STATION AT CENTER REAR. LOOKING EA…LOCK VIEW. DAM AT RIGHT REAR. CONTROL STATION AT RIGHT. LOOKING EAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden Island Lock and Dam …1968LOCK VIEW. DAM AT RIGHT REAR. CONTROL STATION AT RIGH…PART ONE OF TWO PART PANORAMA WITH NO. IL-164-F-14. RIVER AND DAM. LOOKING NORTH NORTHEAST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresde…1968PART ONE OF TWO PART PANORAMA WITH NO. IL-164-F-14. R…
1970s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
The story

How Channahon Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Channahon Township.

Read it all →

Archaeological evidence suggests that the land on which the village now stands was inhabited as long as three to four thousand years ago by Mound Builders. When white settlers arrived in the early 1830s, the region was populated by Potawatomi, with whom the early settlers had friendly relations. The settlers began to call the area "Channahon," a Potawatomi phrase translated as "meeting of the waters."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Channahon Township in 1878

Passages that mention Channahon Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Channahon Township was, previous to its settlement by the whites, a favorite abode and hunting-ground of the Indians of the Pottawatomie tribe, and many of them were to found here after white men began to settle in the town.
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ... a directory of its real estate owners1878 · page 594Read the page →
Read the text

Channahon Township was, previous to its settlement by the whites, a favorite abode and hunting-ground of the Indians of the Pottawatomie tribe, and many of them were to found here after white men began to settle in the town.

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.

Timeline

Channahon Township, 1844 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1844Post officeThe Jackson Creek post office opens
  3. 1855Post officeThe Jackson Creek post office closes
  4. 1887Post officeThe Millsdale post office opens
  5. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1898Post officeThe Blodgett post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902Post officeThe Millsdale post office closes
  9. 1905Post officeThe Blodgett post office closes
  10. 1933In the archiveHABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and Michigan Canal, Locks and Lockhouse
  11. 1968In the archiveBARGES WAITING TO ENTER DOWNSTREAM LOCK GATE. LOOKING WEST. - Illinois Waterway, Dresden …
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

HABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and Michigan Canal, Locks and Lockhouse
Retake this viewHABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) - Illinois and Michigan Canal, Locks and Lockhouse, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Channahon Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 8 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
8
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Channahon Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,000190019201940196019802000202013,383

Grew from 261 people in 1900 to 13,383 in 2020, more than tenfold.

8 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Help out

Finish Channahon Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHABS ILL,99-CHA.V,1,1A- (sheet 2 of 2) …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Troy Township1 historic placeB−Aux Sable TownshipIts storyDWilmington Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJackson Township1 historic placeB

Questions about Channahon Township’s history

What year was Channahon Township founded?

The Channahon Township post office opened in 1838, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1961.

How does Channahon Township rank for history?

Channahon Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #311 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 Channahon Township?

2% of Channahon Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1995.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), 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.