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History · Beaver

Beaver’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Beaver. 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

Beaver Township is one of twenty-six townships in Iroquois County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 458 and it contained 222 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 527 to 458 (-13%). Half of its homes were built before 1938.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Beaver 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 Beaver’s collection

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

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

Beaver, 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 Beaver is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Beaver has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is St. Mary's Church in Beaverville, 4.9 miles away.

Beaver and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Beaver. Tap a dot.
St. Mary's ChurchPrairie Dell MeetinghouseChicago Board of Trade BuildingScott-Lucas HouseSeller's Standard Station and Pullman DinerWatseka Downtown Historic District

Closest to Beaver

St. Mary's ChurchBeaverville · Built 19094.9miPrairie Dell MeetinghouseConcord · Building5.7miChicago Board of Trade BuildingBeaverville · Built 19305.7miScott-Lucas HouseMorocco · Building7.5miSeller's Standard Station and Pullman DinerMorocco · Building7.9mi

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. St. Mary's Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Beaver?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Beaver’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
📜 Donovan📜 Iroquois📜 Beaverville📜 Beaverville
The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Beaver, ILIroquois 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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