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History · Stonington Township

Stonington Township’s post office opened in 1844, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1880.

1844first post office
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Stonington Township began

When was Stonington Township founded?

1844

The Stonington Township post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 137 in 18802020 census: 993182 years
Founding year: the first Stonington Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Stonington 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 Stonington Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,466 in 1920; 837 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Stonington Township’s homes were built before 1943.Deep rootsA post office since 1844: 182 years of Stonington Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Stonington Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Stonington Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Stonington Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,466

Peaked at 1,466 in 1920; 837 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Stonington Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Stonington Township.

Read it all →

On December 1, 2018, an EF2 tornado struck the western part of the village; there were no injuries or deaths.

Chapters2018 tornado

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Stonington Township, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Stonington elevator 2026-06-142026Stonington elevator 2026-06-14Edge of Stonington IL 2026-06-142026Edge of Stonington IL 2026-06-14
On the map

Stonington Township on the map, 1952 to 1982

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

Stonington Township on the 1952 USGS mapStonington Township on the 1982 USGS map1952Assumption 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 Stonington Township.

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
MidwaySandersville
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Stonington Township
Mount ZionOld StoningtonPonting

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.

May TownshipIts storyC−Mosquito TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBuckhart TownshipIts storyC+

Questions about Stonington Township’s history

What year was Stonington Township founded?

The Stonington Township post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.