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History · Boston Township

Boston Township’s post office opened in 1837, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1960 on and the census since 1880.

1837first post office
0on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Boston Township began

When was Boston Township founded?

1837

The Boston Township post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 137 in 18802020 census: 941189 years
Founding year: the first Boston Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Boston 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 Boston Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 257 in 1950; 150 people lived here in 2020.Deep rootsA post office since 1837: 189 years of Boston Township.Old housesHalf of Boston Township’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Boston Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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People over time

Boston Township, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 257

Peaked at 257 in 1950; 150 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Boston Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Boston Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Boston Township.

Read it all →

Boston was originally called New Boston, and under the latter name was laid out and platted in 1832. The first post office in Boston was established in 1837.

On June 26, 1849, a cholera outbreak began, with the first death occurring the following day. Of the 120 residents at the time, 53 residents died over the following 5 weeks.

The Boston Township Council is composed of five members with a council president.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Boston Township, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Boston, Indiana2016Boston, IndianaBank in2011Bank inUS-IN-Boston2005US-IN-Boston
On the map

Boston Township on the map, 1960 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Boston Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Boston Township on the 1960 USGS mapBoston Township on the 1986 USGS map1960Richmond 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 Boston Township.

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Locust Grove
Gone or out of use
White Airportairport
1cemetery inside Boston Township
Glen Haven Memorial Gardens

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.

Harrison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWayne Township20 historic placesA+Abington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCenter Township7 historic placesA

Questions about Boston Township’s history

What year was Boston Township founded?

The Boston Township post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.