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History · Decker Township

Decker Township dates to 1869, and 86% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1901 on, and the census since 1930.

1869founded
0on the National Register
86%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Decker Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Decker Township began

When was Decker Township founded?

1869

Decker Township dates its founding to 1869 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 468 in 19302020 census: 209157 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1895.

What stands out about Decker 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 writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Decker Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1980. Watch Decker Township change.Old housesHalf of Decker Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Decker Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewPhotos of: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Orrville
1895–1904
Littlerock
1901–1903
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Little RockOrrvilleSisson
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Decker Township
DickOrrvilleScott ChapelStuartWarth

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Decker Township on the map, 1901 to 1980

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

Decker Township on the 1901 USGS mapDecker Township on the 1959 USGS mapDecker Township on the 1980 USGS map1901Princeton sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Decker Township.

The story so far

Decker Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Decker Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Decker is a town in Johnson Township, Knox County, Indiana, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1869 by Isaac Decker. Decker is near the White River, and is well known for the watermelon and cantaloupe produced in the surrounding rural area.

Decker Township was established in 1869. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 227 to 209 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Decker Township, 1869 to 1904

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1869
    FoundingDecker Township is established
  3. 1895Post officeThe Orrville post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Littlerock post office opens
  6. 1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1903Post officeThe Littlerock post office closes
  8. 1904Post officeThe Orrville post office closes
By decade

Decker Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Photos ofDate?Photos of
Today2 recent
Decker community center2024Decker community centerDecker, Indiana2016Decker, Indiana
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.

Photos of
Retake this viewPhotos of

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Decker Township, census by census

010020030040050019401960198020002020Peak: 468

Between 199 and 468 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Decker Township

Nobody well known was born in Decker Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Robert RidgwayAmerican ornithologist · b. 1850
Jackie YoungAmerican basketball player · b. 1997
Valeska SurattAmerican actress · b. 1882
Melba PhillipsAmerican physicist and science educator · b. 1907
M
Mark MedoffAmerican actor and writer · b. 1940
D
Dave NiehausAmerican sportscaster · b. 1935
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

White River Township1 historic placeB+Vincennes Township13 historic placesA+Johnson TownshipIts storyBDeckerIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Decker Township’s history

What year was Decker Township founded?

In 1869, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Decker Township’s post office opened in 1895, and the census of 1930 counted 468 people here.

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 (3), 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.