Troy Township dates to 1849, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #417 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Joliet Municipal Airport. Most of Troy Township was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1997. Below: maps from 1892 on and old-book passages.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Troy Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #417 of 768 in Illinois. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Troy Township’s overall grade.
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 Troy Township’s 0.2 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1849.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Troy Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Troy Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Joliet 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 Troy Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Bird's Bridge, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
BirdsDeer Run EstatesLake of the WoodsOak LaneRock Run ParkWellington Heights
Gone or out of use
Engelsman SchoolschoolLink Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Troy Township
Woodlawn Memorial Park IWoodlawn Memorial Park II
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Troy Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Troy Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Troy Township is located in Will County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 45,991 and it contained 17,522 housing units. It contains the western edge of the city of Joliet and the entirety of the village of Shorewood.
Troy Township was established in 1849. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 45,991 to 49,479 (+8%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Troy Township in 1878
Passages that mention Troy Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Will County, Illinois, containing a history of the county ... a directory of its real estate owners1878 · page 592Read the page →
Read the text
present township of Troy into Channahon, west of the Du Page River, where they selected locations, and returned to Plainfield for the purpose of removing their eifects to their claims. In coming back to the place selected, they met with a man named McGill, mentioned as an early settler in Troy Township, who volunteered to come with them and show them eligible points for settlement. Instead of allowing them to gO to the west side of the river, where they had selected claims, he conducted them to their present places, and told them the land was far superior to that on the opposite side, a fact that subsequent
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Troy Township, 1849 to 1905
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1849, according to Wikidata. Troy Township’s post office opened in 1864.
How does Troy Township rank for history?
Troy Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #417 of 768 in Illinois. 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.
What is on the National Register in Troy Township?
One place: the Joliet Municipal Airport (listed 1980).
How old are the homes in Troy Township?
1% of Troy Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1997.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
