On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sparta 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 Sparta 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 Sparta 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 1852.
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 (±12.5 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 Sparta 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 Sparta Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Sparta Township is one of twenty-one townships in Knox County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,064 and it contained 511 housing units.
Sparta Township was established in 1852. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,165 to 1,064 (-9%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Sparta Township, 1850 to 1947
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 Sparta Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1947Woodhull 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 Sparta Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Sparta Township
Nobody well known was born in Sparta Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Centre Point, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Gone or out of use
Center Point Post Officepost officeFosmire SchoolschoolHannam SchoolschoolMilitary SchoolschoolPleasant Hill SchoolschoolRed Oak SchoolschoolRhodes SchoolschoolRobbins SchoolschoolRowe Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Sparta Township
Robbins
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.
In 1852, according to Wikidata. Sparta Township’s post office opened in 1850.
How does Sparta Township rank for history?
Sparta 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 Sparta Township?
41% of Sparta Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.5 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1963.
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, 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.
