Sandwich’s post office opened in 1850, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #311 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Sandwich City Hall and the von KleinSmid Mansion. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1948 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: the first Sandwich post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1859.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sandwich’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sandwich is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #311 of 768 in Illinois. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sandwich’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 Sandwich’s 2.8 sits above most of its state (70% 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 range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1859 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
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 Sandwich’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town's history is tied to politician John Wentworth and his efforts to move the Illinois border with Wisconsin from being even with the southernmost latitude of Lake Michigan to its present location. If those efforts had not been successful, the state line would reside along the LaSalle-DeKalb County border, placing the incorporated community in Wisconsin. The community was established when Almon Gage sought a railroad stop on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad that ran through town. Originally naming it Newark Station (not to be confused with the nearby village of Newark) he and Wentworth worked extensively to create the community and also to get the railroad stop created. In honor of his efforts, Wentworth was given the opportunity to name the town. He named it after his home of Sandwich, New Hampshire. The city's Wentworth Apartments and Wentworth Street are named after …
Passages that mention Sandwich, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of DeKalb County, Illinois1868 · page 518Read the page →
Read the text
In the fall of 1852, William Fatten, Washington Walker, and Lindsay Carr, farmers in the neighborhood of the present thriving village of Sandwich, called a mass meeting of the citizens of Newark, then a lively village six miles south, upon which occasion a committee was chosen to petition the railroad company to establish a station for their accommodation. At this time, Mr. J. II. Furman made a census of the citizens who would probably use this station, and reported one hundred
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
"Reports speak of mysterious strangers having been seen in Sandwich during the week, but as it is a town of great antiquity, one of the ancient Cinque ports, this is not surprising. Tourists from Margate, Deal, and other parts of the coast, frequently visit Sandwich.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Portrait and biographical album of DeKalb County, Illinois1885Read the page →
Read the text
bridge which was being constructed at Millington, 111., on the TQth of February, 1884. He was a Captain in the War of the Rebellion, doing patriotic service. He was long a station agent at Sandwich, and served for a long time as Supervisor of the town of Fox. He was also a Trustee of the Jacksonville Asylum and President of the Board of Trustees at the time of his death.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Sandwich, 1850 to 1948
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Sandwich post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1859.
How does Sandwich rank for history?
Sandwich is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #311 of 768 in Illinois. 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 Sandwich?
Two places: the Sandwich City Hall (listed 1979) and the von KleinSmid Mansion (1985).
How old are the homes in Sandwich?
20% of Sandwich’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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