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Ridgway-Main-St-block-ilPhoto: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Ridgway Township

Ridgway Township dates to 1866, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1880.

1866founded
0on the National Register
18%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Ridgway Township began, and where its name came from

When was Ridgway Township founded?

1866

Ridgway Township dates its founding to 1866 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 174 in 18802020 census: 853160 years

How did Ridgway Township get its name?

Ridgway Township was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.

Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1857. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Ridgway 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 writtenNo old photos of Ridgway Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,245 in 1980; 851 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Ridgway Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19053 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1964. Watch Ridgway Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Ridgway Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Ridgway Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,245

Peaked at 1,245 in 1980; 851 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ridgway Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

New Market
1857–1871
Inman
1885–1907
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
InmanNew Market
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ridgway Township
AsburyCallicottJacksonJonesNew ZionOld CottonwoodRileySaint Patricks

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Ridgway Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Ridgway Township.

Read it all →

Ridgway was established in 1866 as a construction camp along what would become the Springfield and Illinois South Eastern Railway. It was named for the railroad's president, Thomas S. Ridgway.

The village, once home to a popcorn plant, is the former self-proclaimed "Popcorn Capital of the World". Popcorn Day continues as part of the Gallatin County Fair and is held the second Saturday in September.

The February 2012 tornadoes, which killed seven in the nearby Harrisburg area, destroyed the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Ridgway. The church was rebuilt in 2015 under the name "St. Kateri," in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Ridgway Township, 1857 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857Post officeThe New Market post office opens
  3. 1866
    FoundingRidgway Township is established
  4. 1871Post officeThe New Market post office closes
  5. 1885Post officeThe Inman post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1907Post officeThe Inman post office closes
  9. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,245
By decade

Ridgway Township, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Ridgway-welcome-sign-il2018Ridgway-welcome-sign-ilRidgway-post-office-il2018Ridgway-post-office-ilRidgway-fields-il2018Ridgway-fields-ilRidgway-bank-building-il2018Ridgway-bank-building-ilRidgway-Newhaven-Rd-il2018Ridgway-Newhaven-Rd-ilRidgway-Medicine-Shoppe-il2018Ridgway-Medicine-Shoppe-ilRidgway-Main-St-block-il2018Ridgway-Main-St-block-il
On the map

Ridgway Township on the map, 1905 to 1964

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ridgway Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Ridgway Township on the 1905 USGS mapRidgway Township on the 1949 USGS mapRidgway Township on the 1964 USGS map1905New Haven 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 Ridgway Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

New Haven TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth Fork TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAsbury TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGold Hill Township1 historic placeB

Questions about Ridgway Township’s history

What year was Ridgway Township founded?

In 1866, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ridgway Township’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 174 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (7), 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.