The story
Read it all →How Browns Grove Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Browns Grove Township.
The area that became Shiley Township was detached from Browns Grove Township in the 1910s.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Browns Grove Township
Browns Grove Township’s post office opened in 1877, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1892 on.
1877first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Browns Grove Township began
When was Browns Grove Township founded?
1877
The Browns Grove Township post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name.
2020 census: 267149 years
Founding year: the first Browns Grove Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Browns Grove 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 Browns Grove Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18923 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1985. Watch Browns Grove Township change.Old housesHalf of Browns Grove Township’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Browns Grove Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Browns Grove Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Browns Grove Township on the map, 1892 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Browns Grove Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1892Ness sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Browns Grove Township.
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 albumFamous people
See all →Famous people close to Browns Grove Township
Nobody well known was born in Browns Grove Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Places that used to be
Places now gone
Gone or out of use
Burdett Community Airportairport
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.
Marena TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSawmill TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShiley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrant Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Browns Grove Township’s history
What year was Browns Grove Township founded?
The Browns Grove Township post office opened in 1877, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.