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History · The Galena Territory

Half of The Galena Territory’s homes were built after 1994

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of The Galena Territory was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1994. Below: maps from 1911 on.

0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

About The Galena Territory’s history

How historic is The Galena Territory?

D

More historic than 13% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives The Galena Territory’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, The Galena Territory is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of The Galena Territory’s overall grade.
Founding eraWithout a firm founding date for The Galena Territory, this grade rests on its old homes and Register listings–Homes built before 19402.3% of homes (±2.6) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical IL town 0.5 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 13%
NewerOlder

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so The Galena Territory’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about The Galena Territory’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 The Galena Territory are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start The Galena Territory’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how The Galena Territory’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

The Galena Territory, in brief

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

The Galena Territory is a census-designated place in Jo Daviess County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 1,500 in 2020, an increase from 1,058 in the 2010 census. The territory was incorporated on July 26, 1973. The community consists of a private 6,800-acre (28 km2) development located several miles southeast of downtown Galena. The Territory, which is managed by a homeowners association, has set aside 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of protected recreational land. The remainder is filled with low-density residential development and Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. As of August 2017, there were 4,082 property owners, 554 permanent residences, and 1,675 vacation residences.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,058 to 1,500 (+42%).

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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On the map

The Galena Territory on the map, 1911 to 1968

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

The Galena Territory on the 1911 USGS mapThe Galena Territory on the 1968 USGS map1911Galena 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 The Galena Territory.

Famous people

Famous people close to The Galena Territory

Nobody well known was born in The Galena Territory itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
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Donald William KerstAmerican accelerator physicist who developed th… · b. 1911
Frederick SchwatkaAmerican explorer and author · b. 1849
John Aaron RawlinsUnion Army general, 29th Secretary of War · b. 1831
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George Safford ParkerAmerican businessman · b. 1863
William WarnerAmerican politician, Missouri · b. 1840
John W. Cox, Jr.American politician · b. 1947
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Guilford TownshipIts storyC−Elizabeth Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast Galena Township1 historic placeA−

Questions about The Galena Territory’s history

How does The Galena Territory rank for history?

The Galena Territory is more historic than 13% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in The Galena Territory?

2% of The Galena Territory’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1994.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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).

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.