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West National in downtown BrazilPhoto: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Brazil Township

Brazil Township’s post office opened in 1844, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

5 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1950 on, and the census since 1850.

1844first post office
5on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Brazil Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Brazil Township began

When was Brazil Township founded?

1844

The Brazil Township post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1866.

First census: 84 in 18502020 census: 8,604182 years
Founding year: the first Brazil Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1866.The full story ↓

What stands out about Brazil Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Deep rootsA post office since 1844: 182 years of Brazil Township.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.Old housesHalf of Brazil Township’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Brazil Township, 1915 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1915In the archiveExcerpt of 1915 map of Brazil Indiana showing Cottage Hill Cemetery
  3. 1930In the archiveCourtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 40, Hoosier hospitality on 'National Old Trails'
  4. 1942In the archiveClosed gas station on U.S. 40
  5. 1950In the archiveIN Brazil West 156297 1950 24000 geo page 1
  6. 1950On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the National Register

5 listings protect 260 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
260
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Brazil Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brazil Township.

Read it all →

In the 1840s, the owners of the farmland that would later become the city of Brazil decided to name their farm after the country of Brazil. The city was founded in 1866. As of 2024, Brazil is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. Clay County, formed in 1825, originally had Bowling Green as its county seat. The county seat was relocated to Brazil in 1876 following the city's development.

The Chafariz dos Contos Fountain (from "contos de réis" a former Brazilian currency) was given to the city by the country of Brazil as a symbol of friendship in 1956. It is a replica of the original fountain located in Ouro Preto, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, built in 1745.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Brazil Township, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1950s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1940s5 items
Excerpt of 1915 map of Brazil Indiana showing Cottage Hill Cemetery1915Excerpt of 1915 map of Brazil Indiana showing Cottage…MapCourtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 40, Hoosier hospitality on 'National Old Trails'1930Courtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 40, Hoosier hos…Closed gas station on U.S. 401942Closed gas station on U.S. 40Gas station and cabins for sale. U.S. 401942Gas station and cabins for sale. U.S. 40Untitled photo, possibly related to: Closed gas station on U.S. 401942Untitled photo, possibly related to: Closed gas stati…
1950s1 item
IN Brazil West 156297 1950 24000 geo page 11950IN Brazil West 156297 1950 24000 geo page 1
1960s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today9 recent
NorthviewHighSchool2022NorthviewHighSchoolCity of2020City ofLibrary in2012Library inClay County Hospital at2012Clay County Hospital atIndiana Paving BLock2010Indiana Paving BLockFront yard Dog2006Front yard DogBack yard dog2006Back yard dogBrazil house porch2005Brazil house porchBrazil garden bike2005Brazil garden bike
On the map

Brazil Township on the map, 1950 to 1986

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

Brazil Township on the 1950 USGS mapBrazil Township on the 1960 USGS mapBrazil Township on the 1972 USGS mapBrazil Township on the 1986 USGS map1950Brazil East 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 Brazil Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Courtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 40, Hoosier hospitality on 'National Old Trails'
Retake this viewCourtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 40, Hoosier hospitality on 'National Old Trails', 1930

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Brazil Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Brazil Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,0001850190019502000Peak: 9,340

Between 84 and 9,340 people in every census since 1850.

17 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

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

Hamlets and corners on the map
HarmonyShady Lane
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Brazil Township
OwensStunkard

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Brazil Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewCourtesy Court, Brazil Ind., on U. S. 4…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Dick Johnson TownshipIts storyDVan Buren Township1 historic placeA−Brazil5 historic placesAKnightsvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPosey TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Brazil Township’s history

What year was Brazil Township founded?

The Brazil Township post office opened in 1844, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1866.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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 Wikimedia Commons (12), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (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.