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History · Tunbridge Township

Tunbridge Township dates to 1858, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1930.

1858founded
0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Tunbridge Township began

When was Tunbridge Township founded?

1858

Tunbridge Township dates its founding to 1858 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 1,180 in 19302020 census: 751168 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.

What stands out about Tunbridge 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 Tunbridge Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Tunbridge Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Tunbridge Township’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tunbridge Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tunbridge 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 and burying grounds

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

Turnbridge
1854–1859
Rowell
1884–1903
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
RowellTunbridge
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Tunbridge Township
BaptistHaysPleasant ValleyRandolphTunbridge

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

The story so far

Tunbridge Township, in brief

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

Tunbridge Township is one of thirteen townships in DeWitt County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 751 and it contained 338 housing units.

Tunbridge Township was established in 1858. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 760 in 2010, 751 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Tunbridge Township, 1854 to 1957

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854Post officeThe Turnbridge post office opens
  3. 1858
    FoundingTunbridge Township is established
  4. 1859Post officeThe Turnbridge post office closes
  5. 1884Post officeThe Rowell post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1903Post officeThe Rowell post office closes
  8. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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

Tunbridge Township on the map, 1957 to 1980

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

Tunbridge Township on the 1957 USGS mapTunbridge Township on the 1980 USGS map1957Kenney 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 Tunbridge Township.

People over time

Tunbridge Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20019401960198020002020Peak: 1,180

Between 751 and 1,180 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tunbridge Township’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Tunbridge Township

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

See all →
Brenda ChapmanAmerican animator, storyboard artist, and direc… · b. 1962
C
Carl Shipp MarvelAmerican chemist · b. 1894
Vaughn De LeathAmerican jazz singer · b. 1894
C
Charles Christopher AdamsAmerican zoologist · b. 1873
Gene VanceAmerican basketball player, college athletics a… · b. 1923
A
Al AtkinsonMajor League Baseball player · b. 1861
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Texas TownshipIts storyC+Aetna TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAustin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBarnett TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMaroa TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Tunbridge Township’s history

What year was Tunbridge Township founded?

In 1858, according to Wikidata. Tunbridge Township’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1930 counted 1,180 people here.

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, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.