The Coral Township post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Coral (1837) and Harmony (1849), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 3,638189 years
How historic is Coral Township?
A−
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Coral Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Coral Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coral Township is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #178 of 768 in Illinois. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Coral 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 Coral Township’s 2.7 sits above most of its state (69% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.0 points). 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 Coral Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Coral Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Coral is an Unincorporated community village and census-designated place in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It was named a CDP before the 2020 census, at which time it had a population of 16.
Its first post office opened in 1837. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,552 to 3,638 (+2%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Coral Township in 1922
Passages that mention Coral Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Coral Township, one in section 5 at the village of Union. Seneca Township, one in section 24. Hartland Township, one at the village; and one in section (i.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In Coral Township the first schoolhouse was erected in 1838, on Section 8. William Jackson taught the first term of school and he took his pay in 4,000 rails for his four months' work. His patrons split 1,000 rails a month, so that when the school ended they had paid in full, all in good rails. At the end of the term in a frolic, the "big boys" tore down thi' schoolhouse. In 1 S.s 1 this township had eleven Schoolhouses in use and that was more than any other township then had. There were on an average 409 pupils in attendance. School property was valued at
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.
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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Coral Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1938Genoa 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 Coral Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Coral Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Coral Township post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Coral Township rank for history?
Coral Township is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #178 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 Coral Township?
20% of Coral Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1984.
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), 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.
