Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1860.
Elkhart Township dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Elkhart Township’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Elkhart Township.
Elkhart takes its name from Elkhart (or "Elk Heart") Grove, which along with Buffalo Hart was an area of woodland along the Edwards Trace. The grove's name has been attributed to its shape, resembling the heart of an elk. Prior to the forced expulsion of indigenous peoples from Illinois, a Kickapoo village was located at the grove.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Elkhart Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Elkhart Township comprises fifty sections of land in the southern part of Logan Count J, and is bounded on the north by Broadwell Township, on the east by Mt. Pulaski Township, on the south by Sangamon County, and on the west by Sangamon County and Kurlbut Township. The northwest corner is crossed by the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and the southeast corner by the Illinois Central. Lake Fork of Salt Creek flows northward through the township.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Elkhart Township comprises fifty sections of land in the southern part of Logan County, and is bounded on the north by Broadwell Township, on the east by Mt. Pulaski Township, on the south by Sangamon County, and on the west by Sangamon County and Hurlbut Township. The northwest corner is crossed by the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and the southeast corner by the Illinois Central. Lake Fork of Salt Creek flows northward through the township.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Elkhart Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Elkhart Township.
Between 118 and 553 people in every census since 1860.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Elkhart Township’s Wikipedia page.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1855, according to Wikidata. Elkhart Township’s post office opened in 1872, and the census of 1860 counted 118 people here.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, 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.
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