On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dale Township is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns. 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 Dale 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 Dale 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Dale 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 Dale Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Dale Township is located in McLean County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,233 and it contained 521 housing units. It contains part of the census-designated place of Twin Grove and the entirety of Shirley.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,233 to 1,191 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Dale Township in 1924
Passages that mention Dale Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of McLean County, Illinois1924 · page 94Read the page →
Read the text
Dale Township. — This township was settled among the first in the county, along about 1827 or '28. Robert H. Johnson was among the early settlers, and William Beeler came to this section about 1830. There were still many Indians in the vicinity when Beeler settled here. This township was blessed with much timber, Twin Grove being one of the larger tracts, located on the northern border; Hougham's Grove, or Harley's Grove in the center, and the west point of Blooming Grove in the eastern. Dr. Isaac Baker and Deacon James Tomkins of New York were
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
Dale Township, 1857 to 1951
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dale Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951McLean 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 Dale Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Dale Township
Nobody well known was born in Dale Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Dale Township is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns. 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 Dale Township?
15% of Dale Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1982.
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.
