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History · Sumner Township

Sumner Township dates to 1855, and 41% of its homes were built before 1940

1855founded
0on the National Register
41%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Sumner Township began

When was Sumner Township founded?

1855

Sumner Township dates its founding to 1855 (Wikidata).

2020 census: 837171 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

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

Start Sumner Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sumner 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

Sumner Township, in brief

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

Sumner Township is one of seventeen townships in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 837 and it contained 336 housing units. It was formed as Union Township from part of Yellow Head Township on October 8, 1855; its name changed to Sumner Township on June 27, 1856.

Sumner Township was established in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 910 to 837 (-8%).

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.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Sumner Township

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

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W
William B. TablerAmerican architect · b. 1914
J
Jackie HaasAmerican politician
L
Little Moose MeyerAmerican professional basketball player · b. 1917
R
Richard L. AlexanderAmerican boxer · b. 1914
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
WhitakerYeager
Gone or out of use
Campbell SchoolschoolGamble SchoolschoolGoss SchoolschoolPorter Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sumner Township
HeusingZion Lutheran Church

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.

Yellowhead Township1 historic placeBManteno TownshipIts storyCGaneer Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Sumner Township’s history

What year was Sumner Township founded?

In 1855, according to Wikidata.

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 the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.