Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1940 on, and the census since 1860.
The Galva Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.
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 Galva Township’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Galva Township.
Cousins William L. Wiley (1820–1900) and James Wiley (1817–1886) founded Galva in 1854. The name Galva honors the Swedish immigrants of nearby Bishop Hill and refers to Gävle, Sweden which is the town's sister city. Today around 80% of the town has Scandinavian ancestry.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Galva Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
by the month, in Montgomery Co., Pa. He next came to Belvidere, Boone Co., 111., where he went to farming, engaging in the same until the spring of 1857, when he emigrated to Galva Township, this county, and has resided here ever since. Mr. Herbner is the proprietor of 40 acres of land in Galva Township, and 80 acres in Burns Township.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
At the age of 13 years, John H. Everett was orphaned by the death of his father. He worked on farms in his native State until 1868, when he came to Galva Township, this county, where he has constantly resided until the present time, engaged in the occupation of farming. He has a farm of 80 acres of improved land and four acres of timber located on section 25, Galva Township, and is meeting with
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.
2020Galva Opera house
2020Galva - 1909 Front Street Scene
2019This cornfield is so tall, it nearly obscures the far…
2019Unusual sculpture on the Black Hawk College's East ca…
2019Goats in a pasture near Galva, Illinois
2015Image Former Opera House
201519960107 12 Amtrak
2013Wind Farm Near Kewanee, Illinois
2012Wind Turbines in Henry County, Illinois Near Cambridg…
2006Galva, Illinois
200620061021 19 BNSF
200320030427 20 BNSF
200320030427 18 AmtrakEvery edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Galva 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 Galva Township.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Between 1,005 and 3,185 people in every census since 1860.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Galva Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Galva Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
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 (11), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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