–Not graded

History · Sullivan Township

Sullivan Township dates to 1863, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1947 on and the census since 2000.

1863founded

0on the National Register

38%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Sullivan Township began

When was Sullivan Township founded?

1863

Sullivan Township dates its founding to 1863 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 738 in 20002020 census: 657163 years

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.

What stands out about Sullivan 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 Sullivan Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Sullivan Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Sullivan Township’s homes were built before 1955.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sullivan Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sullivan 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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Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Sullivan Centre

1869–1879

Griswold

1880–1913

18601940today

Hamlets and corners on the map

GriswoldSaxonSullivan Center

Gone or out of use

Brooks SchoolschoolGriswold SchoolschoolKingdom SchoolschoolLamb SchoolschoolLongmire SchoolschoolMadden SchoolschoolPerkins Landing StripairportSkinner Schoolschool

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sullivan Township

Saint JohnsSullivan CenterWest Lawn

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

The story so far

Sullivan Township, in brief

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

Sullivan Township is located in Livingston County, Illinois. As of the 2020 census, its population was 657 and it contained 342 housing units. Sullivan Township formed from Saunemin Township in 1863.

Sullivan Township was established in 1863. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 724 to 657 (-9%).

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

Timeline

Sullivan Township, 1863 to 1947

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

19th century
1863
FoundingSullivan Township is established
1869Post officeThe Sullivan Centre post office opens
1879Post officeThe Sullivan Centre post office closes
1880Post officeThe Griswold post office opens
20th century
1913Post officeThe Griswold post office closes
1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

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

Sullivan Township on the map, 1947 to 1998

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

1947Cullom 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 Sullivan Township.

People over time

Sullivan Township, census by census

Between 657 and 738 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Sullivan Township

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

See all →

Arnold BeckmanAmerican chemist · b. 1900

Alice GentleAmerican opera singer · b. 1885

Francis TownsendAmerican politician · b. 1866

Jan BachAmerican composer · b. 1937

Joseph ZellerAmerican politician in Pennsylvania · b. 1918

Helen NethercuttAmerican businesswoman

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Charlotte TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Saunemin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Mona TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Broughton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sullivan Township’s history

What year was Sullivan Township founded?

In 1863, according to Wikidata. Sullivan Township’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 2000 counted 738 people here.

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 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.

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