On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cain Township is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cain 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 Cain 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.8 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Cain Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Cain Township was one of the first townships to be established in the county; it was established on July 24, 1826. At that time, much of the land was forested, but 100 years later most of the land was used for agriculture. There were also several grain and lumber mills along Coal Creek, but these also were gone by the early 20th century. The town of Hillsboro was laid out in the 1830s and still exists; the town of Rynear was established in the far northwest corner of the township, but was gone by the early 1900s. The township's population was 1,763 in 1880, 1,537 in 1900, and 1,403 in 1910.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cain Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Hillsboro 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 Cain Township.
People over time
Cain Township, census by census
Between 1,023 and 1,537 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cain Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Cain Township
Nobody well known was born in Cain Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Cain Township is more historic than 65% 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 Cain Township?
41% of Cain Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1953.
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 (1), 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.
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