Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Fenton Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Fenton Township

Fenton Township’s post office opened in 1862, and 52% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1952 on.

1862first post office
0on the National Register
52%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fenton Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fenton Township began

When was Fenton Township founded?

1862

The Fenton Township post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Fenton (1862), Platt (1870) and Fenton Centre (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 561164 years
Founding year: the first Fenton Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Fenton 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 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Fenton Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Fenton Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fenton Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fenton 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 view19960106 20 BNSF Fenton, IL: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

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

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Fenton
1862–1873
Platt
1870–1891
Fenton Centre
1872–1883
Fenton
1883–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FentonPratt
Gone or out of use
Earls Air ParkairportRock River Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Fenton Township
Fenton

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Fenton Township, in brief

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

Fenton is an unincorporated community in Whiteside County, Illinois. Fenton is located 6 miles (9.7 km) southwest of Morrison. The community has a post office with ZIP code 61251.

Its first post office opened in 1862. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 536 to 561 (+5%).

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

Timeline

Fenton Township, 1862 to 1996

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1862Post officeThe Fenton post office opens
  3. 1870Post officeThe Platt post office opens
  4. 1872Post officeThe Fenton Centre post office opens
  5. 1873Post officeThe Fenton post office closes
  6. 1883Post officeThe Fenton Centre post office closes
  7. 1891Post officeThe Platt post office closes
  8. 20th century
  9. 1952On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1996In the archive19960106 20 BNSF Fenton, IL
By decade

Fenton Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
19960106 20 BNSF Fenton, IL199619960106 20 BNSF Fenton, IL
Today1 recent
As far as you can see (Unsplash)2017As far as you can see (Unsplash)
On the map

Fenton Township on the map, 1952 to 1982

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

Fenton Township on the 1952 USGS mapFenton Township on the 1982 USGS map1952Erie 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 Fenton Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fenton Township

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

See all →
Robert Andrews MillikanAmerican physicist · b. 1868
David C. HilmersAmerican astronaut · b. 1950
Lillian RussellAmerican opera singer and actress · b. 1861
Eliza Ruhamah ScidmoreAmerican writer and photographer · b. 1856
Salvatore GiuntaUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1985
Peggy MoranActress · b. 1918
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Portland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townProphetstown Township1 historic placeAUnion Grove TownshipIts storyB+Lyndon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townErie TownshipIts storyC+Newton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townErieIts storyC+

Questions about Fenton Township’s history

What year was Fenton Township founded?

The Fenton Township post office opened in 1862, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.