The Richland Grove Township post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Swedona (1869), Cable (1877) and Griffin (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,333179 years
How historic is Richland Grove Township?
A−
More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Richland Grove Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Richland Grove Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richland Grove Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richland Grove 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 Richland Grove Township’s 4.7 sits above most of its state (74% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 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 Richland Grove 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 Richland Grove Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Richland Grove Township is located in Mercer County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,300 and it contained 965 housing units. It contains the census-designated places of Cable and Swedona.
Its first post office opened in 1847. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,300 in 2010, 2,333 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Richland Grove Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1937Orion 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 Richland Grove Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Richland Grove Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Richland Grove Township
Nobody well known was born in Richland Grove Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Richland Grove Township post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Richland Grove Township rank for history?
Richland Grove Township is more historic than 78% 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 Richland Grove Township?
17% of Richland Grove Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
