Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Hampshire 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
R5cc6c407e27e6d5f4fd5e12c6483337dPhoto: Bnperdue2010 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Hampshire Township

Hampshire Township’s post office opened in 1841

Most of Hampshire Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1938 on and the census since 1880.

1841first post office
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Bnperdue2010 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Hampshire Township began

When was Hampshire Township founded?

1841

The Hampshire Township post office opened in 1841, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 483 in 18802020 census: 9,023185 years
Founding year: the first Hampshire Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Hampshire 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 writtenNo old photos of Hampshire Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsA post office since 1841: 185 years of Hampshire Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Hampshire Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 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

Hampshire Township, in brief

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

Hampshire is a village in Kane and McHenry counties, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,667.

Its first post office opened in 1841. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 7,569 to 9,023 (+19%).

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

By decade

Hampshire Township, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Shadowed barn and trees in winter near Hampshire, Illinois2020Shadowed barn and trees in winter near Hampshire, Ill…Silo in the distance through brush near Hampshire, Illinois2020Silo in the distance through brush near Hampshire, Il…Wat Lao2016Wat LaoLaotian Americans at Wat Lao Buddharam2016Laotian Americans at Wat Lao Buddharam
On the map

Hampshire Township on the map, 1938 to 1968

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

Hampshire Township on the 1938 USGS mapHampshire Township on the 1968 USGS map1938Genoa 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 Hampshire Township.

People over time

Hampshire Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000188019001920194019601980200020207,667

Grew from 483 people in 1880 to 7,667 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Hampshire Township’s Wikipedia page.

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
Allens Corners
Gone or out of use
Bean SchoolschoolBell SchoolschoolDoty SchoolschoolDr Joseph W Esser AirportairportReid SchoolschoolSchool Number 40schoolWalker Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hampshire Township
DotyHampshire Center

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.

Rutland Township1 historic placeCHampshireIts storyC+Burlington TownshipIts storyB−Coral Township1 historic placeA−HarmonyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGenoa TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPlato Township2 historic placesC

Questions about Hampshire Township’s history

What year was Hampshire Township founded?

The Hampshire Township post office opened in 1841, 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), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.