On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lamotte Township is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lamotte 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 Lamotte Township’s 129 sits above most of its state (95% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Lamotte Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lamotte Township
BarbeeEast UnionGreenHigginsNeatheryOak Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Lamotte Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lamotte Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lamotte Township is one of ten townships in Crawford County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,887 and it contained 945 housing units. Its name changed from Palestine Township sometime before 1921.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,046 to 1,887 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lamotte Township, 1878 to 1963
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lamotte Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957Hutsonville 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 Lamotte Township.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 26 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
26
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Lamotte Township, census by census
Between 1,887 and 2,838 people in every census since 1930.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lamotte Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Lamotte Township
Nobody well known was born in Lamotte Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Lamotte Township is more historic than 97% 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 Lamotte Township?
30% of Lamotte Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 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.
