Half of Dodds Township’s homes were built after 1981
More historic than 20% of U.S. towns · #634 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Most of Dodds Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 2000.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dodds Township is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #634 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Dodds 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 Dodds 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 (±2.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 Dodds 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 Dodds Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Dodds Township is one of sixteen townships in Jefferson County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,690 and it contained 1,197 housing units. Dodds Township bears the name of James Dodds, a pioneer settler.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,647 in 2010, 2,690 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Dodds Township in 1883
Passages that mention Dodds Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Jefferson County, Illinois1883 · page 393Read the page →
Read the text
Osborne first settled in Dodds Township, but moved into this about 1830 and settled in the north part of Elk Prairie. Hays settled on the place where Dickens had lived.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Jefferson County, Illinois1883 · page 407Read the page →
Read the text
cian. He located first in the then small village of Mount Vernon, where he followed his profession, and subsequently on Section 23 in Dodds Township. His services wore valuable, as the ague was a frequent visitor in every household. His popularity grew in the estimation of the people, and as early as 1841 he was chosen as one of the County
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
Dodds Township, 1868 to 1940
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 Dodds Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1940Mount Vernon 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 Dodds Township.
People over time
Dodds Township, census by census
Between 2,647 and 2,704 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dodds Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Cub Prairie, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
BakervilleShirley
Gone or out of use
Davy Jones (Private) AirportairportHebron SchoolschoolHoward SchoolschoolKing Oil FieldoilfieldPleasant Grove SchoolschoolPleasant View SchoolschoolShady Grove SchoolschoolValley Breeze Schoolschool
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dodds Township
Dodds Township is more historic than 20% of U.S. towns, #634 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 Dodds Township?
6% of Dodds Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1981.
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, 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.
