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History · Deerfield Township

55% of Deerfield Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1915 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Deerfield Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Deerfield Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Deerfield Township’s homes were built before 1938.On the map since 19153 editions of the USGS map, 1915 to 1974. Watch Deerfield Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Deerfield Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Deerfield Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Deerfield Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Deerfield Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Deerfield Township is one of twenty-six townships in Fulton County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 232 and it contained 129 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 261 to 232 (-11%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Deerfield Township on the map, 1915 to 1974

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

Deerfield Township on the 1915 USGS mapDeerfield Township on the 1944 USGS mapDeerfield Township on the 1974 USGS map1915Avon 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 Deerfield Township.

Timeline

Deerfield Township, 1884 to 1915

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Blyton post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Blyton post office closes
  5. 1915On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Deerfield Township, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Deerfield Township complex 2026-09-052026Deerfield Township complex 2026-09-05Deerfield Township building 2026-09-052026Deerfield Township building 2026-09-05
People over time

Deerfield Township, census by census

010020020002020Peak: 261

Between 232 and 261 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Deerfield Township

Nobody well known was born in Deerfield Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
F
Frank F. RossUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1867
E
Edward RobertsAmerican weight thrower · b. 1892
P
Paul H. LandisAmerican sociologist · b. 1901
C
Charles KuhnArtist · b. 1892
L
Larry MeadAmerican politician · b. 1938
Places that used to be

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

Another post office, Blyton, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Blyton
Gone or out of use
Blyton Post Officepost officeDickson SchoolschoolFranklin SchoolschoolFranklin SchoolschoolMount Pleasant SchoolschoolPleasant Valley SchoolschoolPleasant View SchoolschoolRoberts SchoolschoolVictory SchoolschoolWiley Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Deerfield Township
DicksonWileyZion

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Joshua Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCass TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLee Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEllisville Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townYoung Hickory Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Deerfield Township’s history

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), 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.