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–Not graded
History · Jackson Township

33% of Jackson Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1888 on.

0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Jackson Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Jackson Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Jackson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1985. Watch Jackson Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Forest Hill
1858–1871
Badger Creek
1873–1896
Hortonburg
1882–1900
Wyckoff
1885–1902
Lang
1900–1924
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Lang
Gone or out of use
Badger CreeklocaleForest VillelocaleWyckofflocale
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jackson Township
Badger CreekChicago MoundForest HillMount HopeSaint LawrenceUnion

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

Help out

Start Jackson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jackson 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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On the map

Jackson Township on the map, 1888 to 1985

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

Jackson Township on the 1888 USGS mapJackson Township on the 1894 USGS mapJackson Township on the 1957 USGS mapJackson Township on the 1979 USGS mapJackson Township on the 1985 USGS map1888Emporia sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Jackson Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jackson Township.

Read it all →

Jackson Township was originally called Forest Hill Township, and under the latter name was formed in 1859. It was renamed Jackson Township in 1860.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Jackson Township, 1858 to 1900

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1858Post officeThe Forest Hill post office opens
  3. 1871Post officeThe Forest Hill post office closes
  4. 1873Post officeThe Badger Creek post office opens
  5. 1882Post officeThe Hortonburg post office opens
  6. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1896Post officeThe Badger Creek post office closes
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900Post officeThe Hortonburg 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.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Jackson Township

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

See all →
Bob PriceAmerican politician · b. 1927
C. D. BatchelorAmerican editorial cartoonist · b. 1888
R
Ross GrimsleyAmerican baseball player · b. 1922
F
Fran WelchAmerican football coach · b. 1895
J
Jim BarnettAmerican politician · b. 1955
Michael P. RyanUnited States Marine Corps general · b. 1916
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Lincoln Township2 historic placesA−Emporia Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReading TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFremont TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElmendaro Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townArvonia Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Jackson Township’s history

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, 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.