The Roodhouse Township post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Barrow (1871), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 2,360 in 18902020 census: 1,869150 years
How historic is Roodhouse Township?
A−
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Roodhouse Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Roodhouse Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Roodhouse Township is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Roodhouse 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 Roodhouse Township’s 5.6 sits above most of its state (76% 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 (±7.3 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 Roodhouse Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Roodhouse was founded in the 1850s by John Roodhouse. The community was originally known as "The Crossroads" for its position on two major highways, though it was later renamed for its founder. In 1860, John Rawlins convinced the Chicago and Alton Railway to open a station in the community by promising to secure local funds for the depot and warehouse. The railway built its Louisiana branch from Roodhouse in 1871, and the city became a major junction point, boosting its population and economy. Roodhouse was legally incorporated as a city in 1880. Passenger railroad service to Roodhouse ended in the 1950s, causing a local economic downturn which persisted over the following decades.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Roodhouse Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1924Roodhouse 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 Roodhouse Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Roodhouse 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.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Barrow, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Barrow
Gone or out of use
Bending Oak SchoolschoolLiberty SchoolschoolMartin Prairie SchoolschoolMount Olive SchoolschoolShanklin Schoolschool
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Roodhouse Township
The Roodhouse Township post office opened in 1876, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Roodhouse Township rank for history?
Roodhouse Township is more historic than 75% 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 Roodhouse Township?
40% of Roodhouse Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1951.
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 (2), 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.
Date?
2020
