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–Not graded
History · Williams Township

Half of Williams Township’s homes were built after 1998

Most of Williams Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 12 old photos and papers and maps from 1968 on.

0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Williams Township’s archive · credits on each photo

What stands out about Williams Township’s past

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

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers.
★ What stands out · By decade

Williams Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s12 items
Seed stored at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Seed stored at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, M…Weighing seed at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Weighing seed at cooperative seed exchange. Williams,…Bags of seed at coop seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Bags of seed at coop seed exchange. Williams, Minneso…Cleaning seed. Border King Cooperative Seed Exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Cleaning seed. Border King Cooperative Seed Exchange.…Filling bag with seed at co-op seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Filling bag with seed at co-op seed exchange. William…Bags of seed at Border King co-op seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Bags of seed at Border King co-op seed exchange. Will…Farmer in office of Border King co-op seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota1939Farmer in office of Border King co-op seed exchange. …Manager of Border King co-op seed exchange talking with assistant. Williams, Minnesota1939Manager of Border King co-op seed exchange talking wi…Weighing seed at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota. This co-op was financed with a FSA (Farm Security Admi…1939Weighing seed at cooperative seed exchange. Williams,…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Grading seed which farmer has brought to office of Border King cooperative seed ex…1939Untitled photo, possibly related to: Grading seed whi…Bags of seed at Border King co-op seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota. This co-op was financed with a FSA (Farm Security…1939Bags of seed at Border King co-op seed exchange. Will…Loading freight car with seed for shipment to Canada cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota. This co-op was fin…1939Loading freight car with seed for shipment to Canada …
1940s–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
The story so far

Williams Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Williams Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Williams Township is a township in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 120 as of the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 144 to 120 (-17%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

On the map

Williams Township on the map, 1968 to 1985

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

Williams Township on the 1968 USGS mapWilliams Township on the 1985 USGS map1968Kroschel NW 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 Williams Township.

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.

Seed stored at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota
Retake this viewSeed stored at cooperative seed exchange. Williams, Minnesota, 1939

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

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Williams Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSeed stored at cooperative seed exchang…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wagner TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFord TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townIdun TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPliny TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMcGrathIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Williams Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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 the Library of Congress (12), 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.