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History · Henry Township

Henry Township dates to 1834, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers from 1874 on.

1834founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Henry Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Henry Township began

When was Henry Township founded?

1834

Henry Township dates its founding to 1834 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1836.

2020 census: 2,558192 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1836.The full story ↓

What stands out about Henry 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 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Deep rootsEstablished in 1834: 192 years of Henry Township.Old housesHalf of Henry Township’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Henry Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henry 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 viewFMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Timeline

Henry Township, 1834 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1834
    FoundingHenry Township is established
  3. 1874In the archiveFMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam
  4. 20th century
  5. 1973In the archiveANNOUNCING A MOTORCYCLE RACE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS IN HENRY
The story

How Henry Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Henry Township.

Read it all →

Henry is named after General James D. Henry and was initially surveyed in 1834. The topography of the land on the west side of the Illinois River, with relatively steep banks rising well above river level, assured early settlers that their homes would not flood.

Its slogan, "Best Town in Illinois by a Dam Site", is derived from the city's distinction of having the first lock and dam built on the Illinois River. It was completed in 1870 at a cost of $400,000.

The retreat house of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria (Nazareth Retreat House, formerly King's House) is located here.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Henry Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
FMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam1874FMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam
1970s1 item
ANNOUNCING A MOTORCYCLE RACE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS IN HENRY1973ANNOUNCING A MOTORCYCLE RACE AT THE FAIRGROUNDS IN HE…
1980s–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
Today4 recent
St. Joseph Church (Henry, Illinois)2013St. Joseph Church (Henry, Illinois)ILMap-doton-Henry2007ILMap-doton-HenryRainy-day-in-Henry-Illinois2005Rainy-day-in-Henry-IllinoisHenry-Il-GirderBridge2005Henry-Il-GirderBridge
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

FMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam
Retake this viewFMIB 33214 Henry, Ill;; Lock and Dam, 1874

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Henry Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Harrison SchoolschoolMerritt SchoolschoolQuinn SchoolschoolUnion Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Henry Township
HenrySaint Patrick

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.

Hopewell TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMagnolia TownshipIts storyB+Senachwine Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWhitefield TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHenryIts storyB+Hennepin Township2 historic placesA−Steuben Township1 historic placeA−Lacon TownshipIts storyB+

Questions about Henry Township’s history

What year was Henry Township founded?

In 1834, according to Wikidata. Henry Township’s post office opened in 1836.

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 (6), 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.