On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Oakland Township is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Oakland 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 East Oakland Township’s 17.0 sits above most of its state (86% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±9.0 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 East Oakland 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 East Oakland Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
East Oakland Township is one of twelve townships in Coles County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,229 and it contained 628 housing units. The township changed its name from Oakland Township on May 7, 1860.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,388 to 1,229 (-11%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
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 East Oakland Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Oakland 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 East Oakland Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in East Oakland Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Kings
Gone or out of use
Bell SchoolschoolBerry SchoolschoolCanaan SchoolschoolEast Donica SchoolschoolEgypt SchoolschoolEnode SchoolschoolFairview ChurchchurchLake Union SchoolschoolPrairie Union ChurchchurchShady Grove SchoolschoolShively SchoolschoolWard SchoolschoolWest Donica Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside East Oakland Township
BellBerryFairviewOak GroveShields
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.
East Oakland Township is more historic than 95% 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.
What is on the National Register in East Oakland Township?
One place: the Dr. Hiram Rutherford House and Office (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in East Oakland Township?
39% of East Oakland Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.0 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
