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History · Sullivant Township

Sullivant Township dates to 1867, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

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

1867founded
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Sullivant Township began

When was Sullivant Township founded?

1867

Sullivant Township dates its founding to 1867 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 605 in 20002020 census: 479159 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓

What stands out about Sullivant 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 Sullivant Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Sullivant Township’s homes were built before 1954.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sullivant Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sullivant 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

How Sullivant Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Sullivant Township.

Read it all →

The township was formed from Dix Township on September 9, 1867. It is named for Michael L. Sullivant, who in the 1860s was reputedly "the world's most successful farmer." Sullivant owned 80,000 acres (324 km2) in Champaign, Ford, Piatt, and Livingston counties and used his land to raise corn and to graze large herds of cattle; he was one of a select group of wealthy men who dominated the state's booming livestock industry in the middle to late 19th century. An 1876 map of Ford County by Warner and Beers of the Union Atlas Co. shows Sullivant owning 42,000 acres (170 km2) in Ford County, including all of Sullivant Township.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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.

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On the map

Sullivant Township on the map, 1947 to 1986

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

Sullivant Township on the 1947 USGS mapSullivant Township on the 1986 USGS map1947Sibley 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 Sullivant Township.

People over time

Sullivant Township, census by census

010020030040050060020002020Peak: 605

Between 479 and 605 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Sullivant Township

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

See all →
Frances McDormandAmerican actress · b. 1957
Francis TownsendAmerican politician · b. 1866
John Arthur LoveAmerican politician · b. 1916
Lloyd LoarAmerican luthier · b. 1886
Leslie C. ArendsAmerican politician · b. 1895
K
Kenneth L. WilliamsAmerican zoologist · b. 1934
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Ashley SchoolschoolMiner SchoolschoolPleasant Ridge Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Sullivant Township
Mount Hope

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.

Peach Orchard TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFayette TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDrummer Township1 historic placeAGermanville TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDix TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sullivant Township’s history

What year was Sullivant Township founded?

In 1867, according to Wikidata. Sullivant Township’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 2000 counted 605 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 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.