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History · Nauvoo Township

Nauvoo Township dates to 1630, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1936 on, and the census since 1840.

1630founded
2on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Nauvoo Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Nauvoo Township began

When was Nauvoo Township founded?

1630

Nauvoo Township dates its founding to 1630 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 2,450 in 18402020 census: 963396 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1830.The full story ↓

What stands out about Nauvoo Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Older than the countryEstablished in 1630, 146 years before the Declaration of Independence.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1850–1891.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Nauvoo Township, 1630 to 1936

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1630
    FoundingNauvoo Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1850In the archiveJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen
  5. 1860In the archiveHoward and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois home
  6. 1878In the archiveCrossing the Mississippi on the Icelabel QS:Len,"Crossing the Mississippi on the Ice"
  7. 1890In the archiveJoseph Smith Preaching to the Indians by William Armitage
  8. 20th century
  9. 1936On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Nauvoo Township, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s10 items
Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen1850Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christen…The Battle of Nauvoo by C.C.A. Christensen1850The Battle of Nauvoo by C.C.A. ChristensenMeyers Universum Band 15 291852Meyers Universum Band 15 29Nauvoe, Illinois1854Nauvoe, IllinoisNauvoo, from the Mississippi, looking down the river1854Nauvoo, from the Mississippi, looking down the riverNauvoo, Illinois1855Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo, Illinois1855Nauvoo, IllinoisNauvoo3b24766uc. 1855Nauvoo3b24766uZenock and Zeno in the 1858 Jas O Wright & Co edition of the Book of Mormon on page 2061858Zenock and Zeno in the 1858 Jas O Wright & Co edition…Nauvoo1859Schroder1859Nauvoo1859Schroder
1860s–1870s5 items
Howard and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois home1860Howard and Martha Coray Nauvoo, Illinois homeLe Tour du monde-06-p3851862Le Tour du monde-06-p385Distant view of1865Distant view ofNavoo IL Barber 1865p325 cropped1865Navoo IL Barber 1865p325 croppedCrossing the Mississippi on the Icelabel QS:Len,"Crossing the Mississippi on the Ice"c. 1878Crossing the Mississippi on the Icelabel QS:Len,"Cros…
1890s3 items
Joseph Smith Preaching to the Indians by William Armitage1890Joseph Smith Preaching to the Indians by William Armi…Joseph Smith's original temple1890Joseph Smith's original templeDoctrine and Covenants 1321891Doctrine and Covenants 132
1900s–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
The story

How Nauvoo Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nauvoo Township.

Read it all →

The area of Nauvoo was first called Quashquame, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Meskwaki settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges. By 1827, white settlers had built cabins in the area, and by 1830, it was sufficiently settled to warrant a post office, established on March 13 of that year. In 1832, the town, by then called Venus, was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. On October 11, 1834, the name Venus was changed to Commerce.

ChaptersNauvoo today

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

On the map

Nauvoo Township on the map, 1936 to 1985

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

Nauvoo Township on the 1936 USGS mapNauvoo Township on the 1985 USGS map1936Fort Madison 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 Nauvoo 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.

Joseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen
Retake this viewJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C.C.A. Christensen, 1850

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Nauvoo Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
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

Nauvoo Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5001850190019502000Peak: 2,450

Between 950 and 2,450 people in every census since 1840.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Nauvoo Township’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Nauvoo Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewJoseph Mustering the Nauvoo Legion by C…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Nauvoo2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSonora TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAppanoose Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Nauvoo Township’s history

What year was Nauvoo Township founded?

In 1630, according to Wikidata. Nauvoo Township’s post office opened in 1830, and the census of 1840 counted 2,450 people here.

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 (16), the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.