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History · New England Township

New England Township dates to 1887, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1953 on and the census since 1920.

1887founded
0on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How New England Township began

When was New England Township founded?

1887

New England Township dates its founding to 1887 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 613 in 19202020 census: 97139 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about New England 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 New England Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,117 in 1950; 683 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start New England Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how New England 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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People over time

New England Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001,200192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,117

Peaked at 1,117 in 1950; 683 people lived here in 2020.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

The story

How New England Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of New England Township.

Read it all →

New England was founded in 1887, predating all other settlements in Hettinger County by many years. The name recognizes that many early settlers were from the New England states of Vermont and Massachusetts. Until the tracks were abandoned in 1983, the city was located at the terminus of a Milwaukee Road branch line that split from the railroad's Pacific Extension in McLaughlin, South Dakota. New England was incorporated as a village on June 15, 1921 and as a city on July 1, 1967.

The silhouette of the two Rainy Buttes near New England is a distinguishing symbol of the town.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

New England Township, 1887 to 1953

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887
    FoundingNew England Township is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,117
  5. 1953On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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

New England Township on the map, 1953 to 1974

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

New England Township on the 1953 USGS mapNew England Township on the 1974 USGS map1953Dickinson sheet · 1:250,000

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

New England1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHavelock TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStrehlow TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRainy Butte TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKunze TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about New England Township’s history

What year was New England Township founded?

In 1887, according to Wikidata. the census of 1920 counted 613 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 Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.