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History · Maxwell Township

Maxwell Township’s post office opened in 1891, and 55% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on.

1891first post office
0on the National Register
55%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Maxwell Township began

When was Maxwell Township founded?

1891

The Maxwell Township post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Maxwell (1891), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 219135 years
Founding year: the first Maxwell Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Maxwell 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 Maxwell Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Maxwell Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Maxwell Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Maxwell Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Maxwell Township, in brief

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

Maxwell Township is located in Sangamon County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 193 and it contained 72 housing units. Maxwell Township was formed from a portion of Loami Township on March 14, 1899, by the Sangamon County Board.

Its first post office opened in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 193 to 219 (+13%).

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

Timeline

Maxwell Township, 1891 to 1925

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1891Post officeThe Maxwell post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1925Post officeThe Maxwell post office closes
By decade

Maxwell Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Maxwell Township building 2026-06-072026Maxwell Township building 2026-06-07
On the map

Maxwell Township on the map, 1924 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Maxwell Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Maxwell Township on the 1924 USGS mapMaxwell Township on the 1983 USGS map1924Waverly 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 Maxwell Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Maxwell Township

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

See all →
Edward Alsworth RossAmerican sociologist · b. 1866
Henry Calvert SimonsAmerican economist · b. 1899
William H. HinrichsenAmerican politician · b. 1850
W
Warren AmbroseAmerican mathematician · b. 1914
Melvin VanimanAmerican opera singer, aviator and photographer · b. 1866
Ralph C. SmedleyFounder of Toastmasters International · b. 1878
Places that used to be

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

Another post office, Maxwell, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
HuffakerMaxwell
Gone or out of use
Hudson SchoolschoolMcClain ChurchchurchMound Seminary SchoolschoolNergenah AirportairportNipper SchoolschoolPark AirportairportPleasant Valley SchoolschoolProvidence Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Maxwell Township
HodgersonLittle HopeSmyrnaStaley

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.

New Berlin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLoami TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Maxwell Township’s history

What year was Maxwell Township founded?

The Maxwell Township post office opened in 1891, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.