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–Not graded
History · Pearl Township

Pearl Township’s post office opened in 1855, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

1855first post office
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Pearl Township began, and where its name came from

When was Pearl Township founded?

1855

The Pearl Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Bay Creek (1826) and Beecreek (1867), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 197171 years

How did Pearl Township get its name?

The village, settled in the late 19th century, is named after pearl buttons drilled from the large supply of native mussels that once lived in the nearby Illinois River.

Founding year: the first Pearl Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Places that used to be

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

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bay Creek
1826–1829
Beecreek
1867–1923
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bee CreekOld Pearl
Gone or out of use
Gasville Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Pearl Township
HessHumphreyKessingerMillerNew Miller

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.

Patterson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWalkerville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpring Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPearlIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMontezuma TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pearl Township’s history

What year was Pearl Township founded?

The Pearl Township post office opened in 1855, 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 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.