One of the main factors determining the settlement of Mattoon and Coles County in general was the topography. Coles County straddled a timberline in the southern half and prairie in the north. The forested areas were primarily fed by two major rivers: the Embarras River in the east and the Kaskaskia in the west. The prairie, known as the "Grand Prairie", was generally wet and swampy. An early historian described the geography:
Passages that mention Mattoon Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Coles County, Illinois ... map of Coles County1879 · page 498Read the page →
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their coming, in March, 1827, and that he made the first settlement in the township. His claims, however, seem not to be so well authenticated as those of Drake. In June, 1827, Charles Sawyer, who is recorded as the first settler of Mattoon Township, stopped a few days at the Hart settlement, and then moved north and west to his place of settlement. The settlers of 1827 were Daniel Drake, Uncle Tommy Hart and his sons Miles H., Moses and Thomas. There may, indeed, have been two or three other families, but, if so, their names have been lost or are incorporated with those of a later date. In February, 1828,
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The history of Coles county, Illinois..1879 · page 498Read the page →
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their coming, in March, 1827, and that he made the first settlement in the township. His claims, however, seem not to be so well authenticated as those of Drake. In June, 1827. Charles Sawyer, who is rec()rded as the first settler of Mattoon Township, stopped a few days at the Hart settlement, and then moved north and west to his place of settlement. The settlers of 1827 were Daniel Drake, Uncle Tommy Hart and his sons Miles H., Moses and Thomas. There may, indeed, have been two or three other families, but, if so, their names have been lost or are incorporated with those of a later date. In Filiruary, 1S28,
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The History of Coles County, Illinois ... map of Coles County1879 · page 504Read the page →
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was the first Postmaster, and the office was first kept at his house on the farm where J. E. Tremble now resides, in the northeast corner of the township. It was called Paradise Post Office, and was afterward removed to Slover's store, thence to Richmond, in Mattoon Township, and finally to Paradise Village, where it has since remained. This was the first post office established in what is known as the Wabash Point settlement, and differs in some points of its history as here recorded, from the account given in the history of Mattoon Township, and is, perhaps, the more accurate statement of the two.
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The history of Coles county, Illinois..1879 · page 504Read the page →
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was the first Postmaster, and the office was first kept at his house on the farm where J. E. Tremble now resides, in the northeast corner of the township. It was called Paradise Post Office, and was afterward removed to Slover's store, thence to Richmond, in Mattoon Township, and finally to Paradise Village, where it has since remained. This was the first post office established in what is known as the Wabash Point settlement, and diSers in some points of its history as here recorded, from the account given in the history of Mattoon Township, and is, perhaps, the more accurate statement of the two.
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Mattoon Township, 1851 to 1934
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mattoon Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1934Mattoon 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 Mattoon Township.
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.
Retake this view1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Coles County - Mattoon - ED 15-16 - ED 15-30, 1880
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Mattoon Township’s page.
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 (16), Wikidata (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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