The story
Read it all →How Barkley Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Barkley Township.
Barkley Township was established in 1838. It was named for Henry Barkley Sr.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Barkley Township
Half of Barkley Township’s homes were built after 2001
Most of Barkley Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1962 on.
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
Where Barkley Township’s name came from
How did Barkley Township get its name?
Barkley Township was named for Henry Barkley Sr.
Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Barkley Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Barkley Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Barkley Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Gifford
Newland
Moody
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
GiffordLewistonMoodyNewland
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Barkley Township
BrownDunkardHankleParkisonPraterPriceReesSandridgeSmith
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Barkley Township, 1899 to 1962
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1899Post officeThe Gifford post office opens
- 20th century
- 1901Post officeThe Newland post office opens
- 1914Post officeThe Moody post office opens
- 1920Post officeThe Gifford post office closes
- 1923Post officeThe Moody post office closes
- 1925Post officeThe Newland post office closes
- 1962
On 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.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
Barkley Township on the map, 1962 to 1991
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barkley Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Gifford sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Barkley Township.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Barkley Township
Nobody well known was born in Barkley Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Barkley Township’s history
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.