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History · Symmes Township

Symmes Township dates to 1856, and 24% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1947 on.

1856founded
0on the National Register
24%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Symmes Township began

When was Symmes Township founded?

1856

Symmes Township dates its founding to 1856 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1874.

2020 census: 948170 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874.

What stands out about Symmes 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 Symmes Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Symmes Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old burying grounds13 cemeteries and burying grounds inside Symmes Township.Old housesHalf of Symmes Township’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Symmes Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Symmes 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

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

Swango
1874–1904
Oliver
1876–1957
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bell RidgeOliver
Gone or out of use
Asher SchoolschoolFort Sumter SchoolschoolJefferson SchoolschoolMcCord SchoolschoolNew Hope SchoolschoolRhodes SchoolschoolSouth Union SchoolschoolWalls Schoolschool
13cemeteries and burying grounds inside Symmes Township
CassadyChronicElledge HolleyLaufmanLycanNew HopeO'HairOgdenQuinnStephensSwangoWallsZimmerly

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

The story so far

Symmes Township, in brief

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

Symmes Township is one of fifteen townships in Edgar County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 948 and it contained 447 housing units. The township was called Marion Township until May 9, 1857.

Symmes Township was established in 1856. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,158 to 948 (-18%).

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

Timeline

Symmes Township, 1856 to 1957

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856
    FoundingSymmes Township is established
  3. 1874Post officeThe Swango post office opens
  4. 1876Post officeThe Oliver post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904Post officeThe Swango post office closes
  7. 1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1957Post officeThe Oliver 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

Symmes Township on the map, 1947 to 1966

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

Symmes Township on the 1947 USGS mapSymmes Township on the 1966 USGS map1947Paris 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 Symmes Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Symmes Township

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

See all →
Carl SwitzerAmerican actor · b. 1927
Jean PaigeAmerican actress · b. 1895
Harold "Slim" SwitzerAmerican actor · b. 1925
Brett EldredgeAmerican singer · b. 1986
S
Stephen ElledgeAmerican geneticist · b. 1956
F
Fred VanzoAmerican football player · b. 1916
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Paris Township7 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrandview Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElbridge Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDouglas TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStratton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Symmes Township’s history

What year was Symmes Township founded?

In 1856, according to Wikidata. Symmes Township’s post office opened in 1874.

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.