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History · Sherman Township

60% of Sherman Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1929 on.

0on the National Register
60%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Sherman 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 Sherman Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sherman Township’s homes were built before 1938.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Sherman Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sherman Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sherman 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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The story so far

Sherman Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sherman Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sherman Township is located in Mason County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 526 and it contained 247 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 526 to 493 (-6%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Poplar City
1873–1918
Biggs
1875–1913
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BiggsPoplar City
Gone or out of use
Beck SchoolschoolHavana AirportairportLake Shore SchoolschoolLarry Barrett RLA AirportairportSherman Valley SchoolschoolSouth Heater SchoolschoolTrout Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sherman Township
EastonHeater

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

Timeline

Sherman Township, 1873 to 1929

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1873Post officeThe Poplar City post office opens
  3. 1875Post officeThe Biggs post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913Post officeThe Biggs post office closes
  6. 1918Post officeThe Poplar City post office closes
  7. 1929On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Sherman Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Sherman Township building 2026-08-272026Sherman Township building 2026-08-27
On the map

Sherman Township on the map, 1929 to 1982

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

Sherman Township on the 1929 USGS mapSherman Township on the 1932 USGS mapSherman Township on the 1982 USGS map1929Manito 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 Sherman Township.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Havana Township2 historic placesA−Crane Creek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPennsylvania TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townForest City TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sherman Township’s history

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 (1), 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.