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History · DeKalb Township

DeKalb Township dates to 1837, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

6 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1934 on, and the census since 1880.

1837founded
6on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From DeKalb Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How DeKalb Township began

When was DeKalb Township founded?

1837

DeKalb Township dates its founding to 1837 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,598 in 18802020 census: 42,677189 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1838.The full story ↓

What stands out about DeKalb 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 writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.Deep rootsEstablished in 1837: 189 years of DeKalb Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start DeKalb Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGlidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. El…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

6 historic places in DeKalb Township

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts

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

Timeline

DeKalb Township, 1837 to 1950

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837
    FoundingDeKalb Township is established
  3. 1880In the archiveGlidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. Ellwood 1880s advertising
  4. 1892In the archiveSuffragists march in Decoration Day parade in DeKalb in 1892
  5. 20th century
  6. 1925Born hereJoseph B. Ebbesen is born here
  7. 1934On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1950In the archiveWurlitzer piano 1950
The story

How DeKalb Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of DeKalb Township.

Read it all →

DeKalb was originally called Huntley's Grove, and under the latter name was platted in 1853. The name is for Baron Johann de Kalb, a major general in the American Revolutionary War. The first church in DeKalb was organized in 1844. Beginning in 1846, a stage coach traveled from Chicago through DeKalb and Dixon to Galena. A post office has been in operation at DeKalb since 1849. The first railroad reached DeKalb in 1853.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

DeKalb Township, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1890s3 items
Glidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. Ellwood 1880s advertising1880Glidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. Ellwood 1880s ad…Charles-bradt-house-gb1c. 1887Charles-bradt-house-gb1Suffragists march in Decoration Day parade in DeKalb in 18921892Suffragists march in Decoration Day parade in DeKalb …
1900s–1940snothing 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
1950s1 item
Wurlitzer piano 19501950Wurlitzer piano 1950
1960s–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
Today20 recent
Haish wire2007Haish wireGlidden wire the Winner22007Glidden wire the Winner2Glidden wire the Winner2007Glidden wire the WinnerGlidden wire 18762007Glidden wire 1876Glidden and Ellwood + Ellwood's wire2007Glidden and Ellwood + Ellwood's wireGlidden House 9 Barn2007Glidden House 9 BarnDeKalb428admincenter2007DeKalb428admincenterDeKalb Lutheran Church Second Street2007DeKalb Lutheran Church Second StreetDeKalb Il Ellwood House Sunroom12007DeKalb Il Ellwood House Sunroom1DeKalb Church Scientist Third St2007DeKalb Church Scientist Third StAlbany Cutter22007Albany Cutter2Albany Cutter12007Albany Cutter11860EllwoodHomePlaque20071860EllwoodHomePlaqueEllwoodhouse2006EllwoodhouseThey're building a new house. - Flickr - Bistrosavage2005They're building a new house. - Flickr - BistrosavagePlight of the Laborer - Flickr - Bistrosavage2005Plight of the Laborer - Flickr - BistrosavageChicken - Flickr - Bistrosavage2005Chicken - Flickr - BistrosavageWinterSunsetinDeKalb (Illinois)2004WinterSunsetinDeKalb (Illinois)Red Bench - Flickr - Bistrosavage2004Red Bench - Flickr - BistrosavageBefore the Party - Flickr - Bistrosavage2004Before the Party - Flickr - Bistrosavage
On the map

DeKalb Township on the map, 1934 to 1980

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

DeKalb Township on the 1934 USGS mapDeKalb Township on the 1971 USGS mapDeKalb Township on the 1980 USGS map1934De Kalb 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 DeKalb Township.

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.

Glidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. Ellwood 1880s advertising
Retake this viewGlidden Barbed Wire made by Isaac L. Ellwood 1880s advertising, 1880

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

DeKalb Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 43,862

Between 1,598 and 43,862 people in every census since 1880.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Bemis SchoolschoolDresser SchoolschoolFarley SchoolschoolLatimer SchoolschoolSlade Schoolschool
1cemetery inside DeKalb Township
Whitmore

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.

Cortland TownshipIts storyC−Malta TownshipIts storyB−Afton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMayfield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about DeKalb Township’s history

What year was DeKalb Township founded?

In 1837, according to Wikidata. DeKalb Township’s post office opened in 1838, and the census of 1880 counted 1,598 people here.

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (24), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.