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History · South Otter Township

South Otter Township dates to 1870

Most of South Otter Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1925 on and the census since 2000.

1870founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How South Otter Township began

When was South Otter Township founded?

1870

South Otter Township dates its founding to 1870 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 395 in 20002020 census: 440156 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1835.

What stands out about South Otter 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 South Otter Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19254 editions of the USGS map, 1925 to 1998. Watch South Otter Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Otter Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Otter 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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On the map

South Otter Township on the map, 1925 to 1998

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

South Otter Township on the 1925 USGS mapSouth Otter Township on the 1931 USGS mapSouth Otter Township on the 1979 USGS mapSouth Otter Township on the 1998 USGS map1925Carlinville 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 Otter Township.

The story so far

South Otter Township, in brief

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

South Otter Township (T11N R7W) is located in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 465 and it contained 204 housing units.

South Otter Township was established in 1870. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 465 to 440 (-5%).

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

Timeline

South Otter Township, 1835 to 1925

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835Post officeThe Douglass post office opens
  3. 1839Post officeThe Douglass post office closes
  4. 1870
    FoundingSouth Otter Township is established
  5. 20th century
  6. 1925On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

South Otter Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
South Otter old and new 2026-08-042026South Otter old and new 2026-08-04
People over time

South Otter Township, census by census

010020030040050020002020Peak: 465

Between 395 and 465 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on South Otter Township’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to South Otter Township

Nobody well known was born in South Otter Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Edward Alsworth RossAmerican sociologist · b. 1866
Henry Calvert SimonsAmerican economist · b. 1899
Charlotte PierceSilent film actress · b. 1904
W
Warren AmbroseAmerican mathematician · b. 1914
J
Joe McManusAmerican baseball player · b. 1887
M
Milt WelchAmerican baseball player · b. 1924
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Douglass, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gone or out of use
Blooming Grove SchoolschoolDouglas SchoolschoolEast Fairview SchoolschoolHazel Green SchoolschoolHickory Point SchoolschoolKasten SchoolschoolPleasant Hill SchoolschoolPrairie Chapel SchoolschoolVictory Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside South Otter Township
BaconRossWelton

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Nilwood Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSouth Palmyra TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorth Otter TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCarlinville Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about South Otter Township’s history

What year was South Otter Township founded?

In 1870, according to Wikidata. South Otter Township’s post office opened in 1835, and the census of 2000 counted 395 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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, 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.