The Ramsey Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Dressor (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 376 in 18802020 census: 1,665171 years
How historic is Ramsey Township?
C+
More historic than 42% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ramsey Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Ramsey Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ramsey Township is more historic than 42% 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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey 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 (±6.8 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 Ramsey Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ramsey Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Ramsey is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 as of the 2020 census. The village was named after Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903), an American politician, second governor of Minnesota.
Its first post office opened in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,851 to 1,665 (-10%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Ramsey Township, 1888 to 1944
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ramsey Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1944Ramsey 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 Ramsey Township.
People over time
Ramsey Township, census by census
Between 376 and 1,058 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ramsey Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Dressor, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Dressor
Gone or out of use
Big Four SchoolschoolBig Three SchoolschoolBrewer AirportairportChandlerville SchoolschoolLittle Democracy SchoolschoolMonclovia SchoolschoolOak Grove SchoolschoolOakdale SchoolschoolSanders Hill SchoolschoolSturgeon Schoolschool
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ramsey Township
The Ramsey Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ramsey Township rank for history?
Ramsey Township is more historic than 42% 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 Ramsey Township?
22% of Ramsey Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (3), 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.
Date?
2023
2023
