Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Rushville Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rushville Township is more historic than 84% 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 Rushville 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 Rushville Township’s 8.2 sits above most of its state (81% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.6 points). Two sources give 1823.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Rushville Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In 1823, Calvin Hobart and his family became the region's first settlers. Schuyler County was official established two years later, originally containing portions of what is today Pike, Fulton, and Brown counties. The county seat was named "Rushton" in honor of Benjamin Rush, one of the Founding Fathers. The name was changed to "Rushville" in 1826.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Rushville Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1926Beardstown 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 Rushville Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Rushville Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1823, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Rushville Township’s post office opened in 1827, and the census of 1850 counted 1,251 people here.
How does Rushville Township rank for history?
Rushville Township is more historic than 84% 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.
What is on the National Register in Rushville Township?
2 listings: 1 building, among them the White Oak Hall (listed 2003, the first).
How old are the homes in Rushville Township?
20% of Rushville Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (6), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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