The South Macon Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1859. Another post office, Walker (1857), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,545 in 20002020 census: 1,468169 years
How historic is South Macon Township?
C+
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first South Macon Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1859.
History grade
What drives South Macon Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, South Macon Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of South Macon 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 Macon 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.
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 (±7.5 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 South Macon Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Macon Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
South Macon Township is located in Macon County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was at 1,468 and it contained 648 housing units. The city of Macon, Illinois is located in the South Macon Township.
Its first post office opened in 1857. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,457 in 2010, 1,468 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
South Macon Township, 1857 to 1949
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 Macon Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1949Dalton City 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 Macon Township.
People over time
South Macon Township, census by census
Between 1,457 and 1,545 people in every census since 2000.
3 censuses, 2000–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Macon Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to South Macon Township
Nobody well known was born in South Macon Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The South Macon Township post office opened in 1857, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1859.
How does South Macon Township rank for history?
South Macon Township is more historic than 43% 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 Macon Township?
23% of South Macon Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 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.
