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History · Washington Township

47% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on.

0on the National Register
47%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Washington 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 Washington Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Washington Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washington Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Washington 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.

Blackoak
1884–1886
Blackhawk
1948–1958
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ArnoldBlackhawkMarcus
Gone or out of use
Clifton SchoollocaleGillispie SchoolschoolMosquito Hill SchoolschoolOak Grove SchoolschoolOak Grove SchoolschoolWashington Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Washington Township
Mosquito Hill

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

The story so far

Washington Township, in brief

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

Washington Township is one of twelve townships in Carroll County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 317 and it contained 177 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 356 to 317 (-11%).

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

Timeline

Washington Township, 1884 to 1958

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Blackoak post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe Blackoak post office closes
  4. 20th century
  5. 1948Post officeThe Blackhawk post office opens
  6. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1958Post officeThe Blackhawk 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.
Add from your album
On the map

Washington Township on the map, 1953 to 1975

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

Washington Township on the 1953 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1975 USGS map1953Blackhawk sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Washington Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Washington Township

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

See all →
Fred SchuleAmerican hurdler · b. 1879
Al FeuerbachAmerican shot putter · b. 1948
John C. McKenzieAmerican politician · b. 1860
Leo E. AllenAmerican politician · b. 1898
Wayne KingAmerican musician · b. 1901
Albert F. DawsonAmerican politician · b. 1872
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Savanna Township2 historic placesA−Woodland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDerinda TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHanover Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Washington Township’s history

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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.