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–Not graded
History · Martin Township

39% of Martin Township’s homes were built before 1940

0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Martin 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 Martin Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Martin Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Martin Township’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Martin Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Martin 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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hardinville
1853–1919
Pierceburg
1890–1904
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Green BrierHardinvillePierceburg
Gone or out of use
Berlin SchoolschoolBottoms SchoolschoolLucky Ford FerrylocaleMain Consolidated Oil and Gas FieldoilfieldMount Pleasant SchoolschoolMoyer SchoolschoolStar SchoolschoolVictor SchoolschoolWatts Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Martin Township
BerlinHardinvilleJonesPrior GroveRichart

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Martin Township, in brief

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

Martin Township is one of ten townships in Crawford County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 504 and it contained 233 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 531 to 504 (-5%).

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

Timeline

Martin Township, 1853 to 1919

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1853Post officeThe Hardinville post office opens
  3. 1890Post officeThe Pierceburg post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1904Post officeThe Pierceburg post office closes
  6. 1919Post officeThe Hardinville post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your album
Famous people

Famous people close to Martin Township

Nobody well known was born in Martin Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Burl IvesAmerican musician · b. 1909
Fred DuboisAmerican politician · b. 1851
William W. ArnoldAmerican politician · b. 1877
L
Lester MelroseAmerican record producer · b. 1891
George A. TaylorAmerican military officer; recipient of the Pur… · b. 1899
F
Frank MelroseAmerican musician · b. 1907
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Southwest TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSte. Marie TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOblong TownshipIts storyC+Honey Creek TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Martin Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 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.