The Harristown Township post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wyckles (1895), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,253 in 19702020 census: 1,752168 years
How historic is Harristown Township?
C
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Harristown Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Harristown Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Harristown Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Harristown Township’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Harristown Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Harristown Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The village was named in honor of Major Thomas L. Harris, who was elected and served as Major of the Fourth Illinois Regiment in the Mexican–American War, and who was afterward a member of Congress from 1849 to 1858.
The first settlers arrived in 1828 and began building log cabins and improving land around the area. 1841 saw the building of the township's first schoolhouse, a log building, and served as both the school and as a place of worship until 1853 when the first church was built. Harristown was along the main line of the Wabash Railroad, which contributed to increased population and business.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Harristown Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Niantic 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 Harristown Township.
People over time
Harristown Township, census by census
Between 1,253 and 1,456 people in every census since 1970.
6 censuses, 1970–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Harristown Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Wyckles, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Wyckles
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Harristown Township
CrumWhitley
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.
The Harristown Township post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Harristown Township rank for history?
Harristown Township is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Harristown Township?
14% of Harristown Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1964.
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).
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
