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History · Sumner Township

Sumner Township dates to 1853, and 65% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1923 on.

1853founded
0on the National Register
65%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Sumner Township began

When was Sumner Township founded?

1853

Sumner Township dates its founding to 1853 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1831.

2020 census: 505173 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1831.

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.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Sumner Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Sumner Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ 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.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

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

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

Cedar Creek
1831–1850
Denny
1850–1886
Eleanor
1886–1930
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
DennyEleanor
Gone or out of use
Brownlee SchoolschoolCedar Creek ChurchchurchCedar Creek SchoolschoolDenny SchoolschoolMcGaw Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Sumner Township
Cedar CreekLittle York

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

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 located in Warren County, Illinois, United States. The village of Little York is located in this township.

Sumner Township was established in 1853. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 572 to 505 (-12%).

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

Timeline

Sumner Township, 1831 to 1930

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1831Post officeThe Cedar Creek post office opens
  3. 1850Post officeThe Cedar Creek post office closes
  4. 1850Post officeThe Denny post office opens
  5. 1853
    FoundingSumner Township is established
  6. 1886Post officeThe Denny post office closes
  7. 1886Post officeThe Eleanor post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1923On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1930Post officeThe Eleanor post office closes
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

Sumner Township on the map, 1923 to 1982

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

Sumner Township on the 1923 USGS mapSumner Township on the 1982 USGS map1923Alexis 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 Sumner Township.

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.

See all →
Wyatt EarpAmerican lawman · b. 1848
Rosa Smith EigenmannAmerican ichthyologist · b. 1858
Blake SchilbAmerican-Czech basketball player · b. 1983
Suzy BoggussAmerican musician · b. 1956
Ben W. OlcottAmerican politician · b. 1872
D
Doris LeeAmerican painter, printmaker and muralist · b. 1905
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hale TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOhio Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBald Bluff TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpring Grove Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAbington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Sumner Township’s history

What year was Sumner Township founded?

In 1853, according to Wikidata. Sumner Township’s post office opened in 1831.

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, 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.