On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Fork Township is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Fork 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 South Fork Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1865.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.3 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 South Fork Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Peaked at 4,503 in 1930; 2,565 people lived here in 2020.
16 censuses, 1870–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Fork Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
South Fork Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Fork Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South Fork Township is one of seventeen townships in Christian County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,565, and it contained 1,242 housing units.
South Fork Township was established in 1865. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,788 to 2,565 (-8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
South Fork Township, 1835 to 1930
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of South Fork Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1923Taylorville 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 South Fork Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to South Fork Township
Nobody well known was born in South Fork Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1865, according to Wikidata. South Fork Township’s post office opened in 1835, and the census of 1870 counted 1,279 people here.
How does South Fork Township rank for history?
South Fork Township is more historic than 54% 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 South Fork Township?
39% of South Fork Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (1), 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.
2026
