The story
Read it all →How Freeport Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Freeport Township.
Freeport was laid out in 1810. A post office has been in operation at Freeport since 1814.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Freeport Township
Freeport Township dates to 1810, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940
1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1909 on and the census since 1830.
1810founded
1on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Freeport Township began
When was Freeport Township founded?
1810
Freeport Township dates its founding to 1810 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1830.
First census: 211 in 18302020 census: 726216 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1814.The full story ↓
What stands out about Freeport 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 Freeport Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 690 in 1900; 321 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19095 editions of the USGS map, 1909 to 1994. Watch Freeport Township change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1810: 216 years of Freeport Township.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Freeport Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Freeport Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Freeport Township, census by census
Peaked at 690 in 1900; 321 people lived here in 2020.
17 censuses, 1830–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Freeport Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Freeport Township on the map, 1909 to 1994
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Freeport Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Antrim sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Freeport Township.
Timeline
Freeport Township, 1810 to 1909
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1810FoundingFreeport Township is established
- 1827Post officeThe Smyrna post office opens
- 20th century
- 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 690
- 1907Post officeThe Smyrna post office closes
- 1909
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Freeport Township, decade by decade
2016
2015
2012
2009
2004On the National Register
1 historic place in Freeport Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Another post office, Smyrna, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Smyrna
Gone or out of use
Crab Orchard MinemineCraborchard SchoolschoolDry Ridge SchoolschoolSmyrna Post Officepost office
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Freeport Township
GreenmontKerr - BoydSmyrna Methodist Episcopal
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Freeport Township’s history
What year was Freeport Township founded?
In 1810, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Freeport Township’s post office opened in 1814, and the census of 1830 counted 211 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.