The Bearcreek Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Westchester (1854) and Antville (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,297 in 19402020 census: 1,587186 years
How historic is Bearcreek Township?
B
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Bearcreek Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Bearcreek Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bearcreek Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bearcreek Township’s overall grade.
Indiana towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Indiana town has 7.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bearcreek Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (22% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Bearcreek Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bearcreek Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bearcreek Township is one of twelve townships in Jay County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,587 (up from 1,578 at 2010) and it contained 465 housing units.
Its first post office opened in 1840. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,578 in 2010, 1,587 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bearcreek Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Geneva sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bearcreek Township.
People over time
Bearcreek Township, census by census
Between 1,090 and 1,587 people in every census since 1940.
9 censuses, 1940–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bearcreek Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Bearcreek Township
Nobody well known was born in Bearcreek Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Bearcreek Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bearcreek Township rank for history?
Bearcreek Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Bearcreek Township?
19% of Bearcreek Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1984.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), 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.
2015
2011
