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History · Nelson Township

Nelson Township’s post office opened in 1858, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 3 old photos and papers from 1995 on.

1858first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Nelson Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Nelson Township began

When was Nelson Township founded?

1858

The Nelson Township post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 775168 years
Founding year: the first Nelson Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Nelson 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 writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Nelson Township’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Nelson Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view19950813 08 UP Nelson, IL: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Nelson Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Nelson Township.

Read it all →

A post office called Nelson was first established in 1858. The village was named for Samuel Nelson, a pioneer settler.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Nelson Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s3 items
19950813 08 UP Nelson, IL199519950813 08 UP Nelson, IL19960615 14 UP Nelson, IL199619960615 14 UP Nelson, IL19960615 15 UP Nelson, IL199619960615 15 UP Nelson, IL
Today1 recent
Coaling tower Union Pacific RR, Nelson, Illinois2009Coaling tower Union Pacific RR, Nelson, Illinois
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Woodland Shores
Gone or out of use
Cook SchoolschoolHillhouse SchoolschoolKings SchoolschoolWalker Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Nelson Township
NelsonPine Grove

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.

Palmyra Township1 historic placeC+South Dixon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townColoma Township1 historic placeBHarmon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Nelson Township’s history

What year was Nelson Township founded?

The Nelson Township post office opened in 1858, 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 →
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 (4), Wikipedia 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.