Founding year: the first Wyanet Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wyanet Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wyanet Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wyanet 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 Wyanet Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Wyanet Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wyanet's history dates back to 1821; it was officially plated in 1854 and incorporated in 1857. The community has had several names since its beginning. In 1821 the settlement was first called "Center". Named by Bulbona an Indian trader. In 1837 the Village officially started to sprout its roots due to the area known as "Pond Creek". Named for the Creek at the South edge of town where Ellis Mercer built a saw mill and Amos Leonard built the first flour mill. The first railroad, the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific was built here in 1853. At this time the name was changed to "Kingston" in honor of the land donors Henry and Mary King. The Chicago, Burlington, Quincy Railroad gave the Village its current name, Wyanet, when they completed their rail line in 1855.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wyanet Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1921Buda 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 Wyanet Township.
People over time
Wyanet Township, census by census
Between 670 and 1,069 people in every census since 1880.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wyanet Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Gone or out of use
Center Grove SchoolschoolEckberg AirportairportFarmora SchoolschoolFox Bend SchoolschoolKauffman SchoolschoolMaple Grove SchoolschoolSapp SchoolschoolSunny Knoll Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wyanet Township
Aldrich FamilyBureau County HomeSappTriplett
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.
The Wyanet Township post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wyanet Township rank for history?
Wyanet Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. 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 Wyanet Township?
29% of Wyanet Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (6), 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.
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