The Ogden Township post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Union (1830), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 239 in 18802020 census: 1,531156 years
How historic is Ogden Township?
C+
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ogden Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ogden Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ogden Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ogden Township’s overall grade.
Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ogden Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ogden Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A tornado did extensive damage to the downtown area of Ogden in March 1976, and a devastating F-3 tornado with winds estimated at 170 mph hit Ogden on April 19, 1996, leaving a path of destruction from one end of town to the other. When the 1996 tornado was over, more than 200 homes received major damage, 80 homes were completely destroyed and 13 people suffered minor injuries. With help from government agencies, surrounding communities, and thousands of volunteers; Ogden recovered under the leadership of Mayor Jim Gilliland. Over the years Ogden has proven itself a resilient community with supportive and caring residents.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ogden Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Fithian 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 Ogden Township.
People over time
Ogden Township, census by census
Between 239 and 818 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ogden Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Ogden Township
Nobody well known was born in Ogden Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Ogden Township post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ogden Township rank for history?
Ogden Township is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Ogden Township?
24% of Ogden Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1970.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
2008
