On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Point Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #71 of 768 in Illinois. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Point 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 West Point Township’s 6.4 sits above most of its state (78% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points).
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 West Point Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Louisa
1850–1859
Waddams Grove
1876–1962
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Waddams Grove
Gone or out of use
Albee SchoolschoolCentral SchoolschoolCrossroads SchoolschoolExcelsior SchoolschoolKerlin SchoolschoolLena Flying Club Landing FieldairportLouisa SchoolschoolRed Shed FieldairportToogood SchoolschoolWaddams Grove Schoolschool
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Point Township
CrossroadsHolly GroveHowardsilleLouisaSaint JosephWaddams Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
West Point Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Point Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Point Township is located in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,369 and it contained 1,483 housing units. The village of Lena, the unincorporated community of Waddams Grove, and two former communities of Louisa and West Point were all located in this township.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,369 to 3,211 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
West Point Township, 1850 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Point Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1942Lena 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 West Point Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in West Point Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
Famous people close to West Point Township
Nobody well known was born in West Point Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
West Point Township is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #71 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.
How old are the homes in West Point Township?
31% of West Point Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.
2007
