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History · Harvey Township

Harvey Township dates to 1856, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on.

1856founded
0on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Harvey Township began

When was Harvey Township founded?

1856

Harvey Township dates its founding to 1856 (Wikipedia’s history).

2020 census: 377170 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓

What stands out about Harvey 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 Harvey Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Harvey Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Harvey 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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The story

How Harvey Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Harvey Township.

Read it all →

Harvey Township was organized in 1867, and named for James M. Harvey, a pioneer settler who came to the area in 1860. James Harvey moved to Forest City, during the Sioux Uprising, and he fought the Indians at the stockade. James ended up being the Clerk of the District Court. Harvey was first settled by John and Thomas Dougherty in the summer of 1856. They broke 25 acres of land that summer. A man named McCue came about two weeks before the Doughertys, but he soon left. The township was originally a part of Forest City, but it was organized separately in 1867. There were no marriages or deaths in Harvey until May of 1870, when Dennis Dougherty and Mary Finnegan got married. Edward Dolan, an 8 year old boy, died that year. Thomas Dougherty was the first Justice of Peace. Edward O. Britt, his wife Lucinda, and his mother Charity (nee Tibbits) were among the first settlers. They c…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

Harvey Township on the map, 1967 to 1994

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

Harvey Township on the 1967 USGS mapHarvey Township on the 1994 USGS map1967Litchfield North 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 Harvey Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Harvey Township

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

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Gale SondergaardAmerican actress · b. 1899
Eugene McCarthyAmerican politician · b. 1916
Ann D. MontgomeryUnited States federal judge · b. 1949
E
Elmer FeigAmerican architect · b. 1897
M
Mike SchultzAmerican Paralympic snowboarder · b. 1981
H
Herbert W. ChilstromAmerican bishop · b. 1931
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Forest City Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townManannah TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLitchfield Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSwede Grove TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Harvey Township’s history

What year was Harvey Township founded?

In 1856, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town.

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 and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.