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–Not graded
History · Funks Grove Township

54% of Funks Grove Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1951 on.

0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Ron Frazier · CC BY-SA 2.0

What stands out about Funks Grove 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.Old housesHalf of Funks Grove Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Funks Grove Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Funks Grove Township, in brief

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

Funks Grove is a historic unincorporated community on U.S. Route 66 in McLean County, Illinois, United States, southwest of Bloomington. The grove for which the settlement is named, Funk's Grove, is a National Natural Landmark, which in turn is named for early settler Isaac Funk.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 245 to 283 (+16%).

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

Timeline

Funks Grove Township, 1827 to 1951

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1827Born hereGeorge W. Funk is born here
  3. 1832Born hereDuncan McArthur Funk is born here
  4. 1834Born hereLaFayette Funk is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1914In the archiveStandard atlas of McLean County, Illinois, including a plat book of the villages, cities …
  7. 1951On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Funks Grove Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Standard atlas of McLean County, Illinois, including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county1914Standard atlas of McLean County, Illinois, including …Map
1920s–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
Today5 recent
Funks Grove Illinois2013Funks Grove IllinoisObservatory2007ObservatoryFunk's Grove, IL2006Funk's Grove, ILFunk's Grove Chapel. Historic Route 662006Funk's Grove Chapel. Historic Route 66Funk's Grove Chapel. Historic Route 66. - 5210879134 (cropped)2006Funk's Grove Chapel. Historic Route 66. - 5210879134 …
On the map

Funks Grove Township on the map, 1951 to 1981

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

Funks Grove Township on the 1951 USGS mapFunks Grove Township on the 1981 USGS map1951McLean 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 Funks Grove Township.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Funks Grove Township

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
LaFayette FunkAmerican politician · b. 1834
D
Duncan McArthur FunkAmerican politician · b. 1832
G
George W. FunkAmerican politician · b. 1827
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Funks Grove
Gone or out of use
Roy Burden RLA Airportairport
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Funks Grove Township
BrockFremontFunks Grove

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.

Waynesville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDale TownshipIts storyC+Randolph TownshipIts storyCMount Hope TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Funks Grove Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.