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History · Henderson Township

Henderson Township dates to 1852, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper from 1910 on and the census since 1870.

1852founded
0on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Henderson Township began

When was Henderson Township founded?

1852

Henderson Township dates its founding to 1852 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1870.

First census: 706 in 18702020 census: 665174 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Henderson 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 writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Henderson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Henderson Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGovernor Eberhardt Dedicating the Josep…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Henderson Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Henderson Township.

Read it all →

Henderson was founded in August 1852 by Joseph R. Brown, and was named for his mother's maiden name.

By 1855, Henderson had become a fast-growing city. It harbored more than 60 buildings, including a hotel, a warehouse, a steam sawmill, as well as Brown's house, which functioned as a boarding house, a store and the Brown family residence.

In the following years, Henderson quickly became a major distribution center for the inland settlements surrounding the Minnesota River Valley. It was the trailhead of the Henderson-Pembina road.

By the mid-1860s, Henderson had two major brickyards, The Mattei and Schwartz Brickyards, which both contributed heavily to the early 1900s brick-style buildings still found in Henderson.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Henderson Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s1 item
Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in Henderson1910Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Mem…
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Henderson Commercial 12007Henderson Commercial 1Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway - Church of St. Thomas Jessenland Sign2006Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway - Church of St. T…MNMap-doton-Henderson2005MNMap-doton-HendersonJoseph Brown's Monument 20012001Joseph Brown's Monument 2001
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Governor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in Henderson
Retake this viewGovernor Eberhardt Dedicating the Joseph R. Brown Memorial in Henderson, 1910

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Henderson Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Henderson Township, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 964

Between 672 and 964 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Henderson Township’s Wikipedia page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Le Sueur5 historic placesB+Henderson3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTyrone Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKelso TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJessenland Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOttawa Township6 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Prairie Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Henderson Township’s history

What year was Henderson Township founded?

In 1852, according to Wikidata. the census of 1870 counted 706 people here.

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 Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.