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History · Stanford Township

Stanford Township dates to 1861

Most of Stanford Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1948 on.

1861founded
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Stanford Township began

When was Stanford Township founded?

1861

Stanford Township dates its founding to 1861 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 625165 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about Stanford 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 Stanford Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stanford Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stanford 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

Stanford Township, in brief

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

Stanford Township is one of twelve townships in Clay County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 625 and it contained 252 housing units.

Stanford Township was established in 1861. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 599 to 625 (+4%).

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

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Stanford Township on the map, 1948 to 1970

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

Stanford Township on the 1948 USGS mapStanford Township on the 1970 USGS map1948Flora 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 Stanford Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Stanford Township

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

See all →
Bailey ZimmermanAmerican singer · b. 2000
Darren BaileyAmerican farmer and politician · b. 1966
Thomas Sutler WilliamsAmerican politician · b. 1872
James V. HeidingerAmerican politician · b. 1882
Mad Man PondoAmerican professional wrestler · b. 1969
V
Victoria Joyce ElyAmerican nurse · b. 1889
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Bayler SchoolschoolBothwell SchoolschoolClay City West Oil FieldoilfieldEast Seminary SchoolschoolFairview SchoolschoolForest Hill SchoolschoolHalterman SchoolschoolLong Prairie SchoolschoolMcCawley SchoolschoolRusk SchoolschoolWalnut Hill SchoolschoolWest Seminary Oil FieldoilfieldWest Seminary Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Stanford Township
BloomFoster HillKneffMcCawleyRusk

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.

Clay City TownshipIts storyC+Hoosier TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKeith TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarter Township3 historic placesAPixley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Stanford Township’s history

What year was Stanford Township founded?

In 1861, according to Wikidata.

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.