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History · Waynesville Township

Waynesville Township dates to 1825, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1981 on and the census since 1850.

1825founded
0on the National Register
48%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Waynesville Township began

When was Waynesville Township founded?

1825

Waynesville Township dates its founding to 1825 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 322 in 18502020 census: 640201 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

What stands out about Waynesville 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 Waynesville Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 592 in 1920; 381 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Waynesville Township’s homes were built before 1948.Deep rootsEstablished in 1825: 201 years of Waynesville Township.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Waynesville Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waynesville Township’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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People over time

Waynesville Township, census by census

01002003004005006001850190019502000Peak: 592

Peaked at 592 in 1920; 381 people lived here in 2020.

16 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

The story

How Waynesville Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Waynesville Township.

Read it all →

Waynesville is one of the oldest settlements in central Illinois. The area was first settled around 1825, by Prettyman Marvel and his wife, Rebecca (Barr) Marvel. They cleared an area of land near the present location of the village and were followed shortly thereafter by several other settlers. As a result, a small settlement sprung up about a mile south of Kickapoo Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Waynesville Township, 1825 to 1981

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1825
    FoundingWaynesville Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 592
  5. 1981On 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.

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On the map

Waynesville Township on the map in 1981

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Waynesville Township.

Waynesville Township on the 1981 USGS map1981Funks Grove 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 Waynesville Township.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Campbells Hump ChurchchurchColumbia SchoolschoolHolt Landing Stripairport
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Waynesville Township
Big GroveFairviewHalseyRock CreekUnion

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wapella TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBarnett TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFunks Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAtlanta Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Waynesville Township’s history

What year was Waynesville Township founded?

In 1825, according to Wikidata. Waynesville Township’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1850 counted 322 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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.