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History · Allen

Allen’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Allen. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Allen Township is one of thirty-seven townships in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 531 and it contained 245 housing units. Allen Township was formed from Bruce Township on an unknown date. The township bears the name of Allen Stevens, a pioneer settler.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 584 to 531 (-9%). Half of its homes were built before 1942.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Allen yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Allen’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from AllenWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Allen.Meet them →
By decade

Allen, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Allen is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Allen has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Ransom Water Tower in Ransom, 0.4 miles away.

Allen and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Allen. Tap a dot.
Ransom Water TowerSilas Williams HouseRuffin Drew Fletcher HouseStreator Public LibraryAmbler's Texaco Gas StationStandard Oil Gasoline Station

Closest to Allen

Ransom Water TowerRansom · Built 18960.4miSilas Williams HouseStreator · Building9.6miRuffin Drew Fletcher HouseStreator · Building9.7miStreator Public LibraryStreator · Built 190210.1miAmbler's Texaco Gas StationDwight · House with Canopy Gas Station11.3mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Ransom Water Tower’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Allen?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Allen’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Ransom📜 Kinsman📜 Highland📜 Otter Creek
The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Allen, ILLaSalle CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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