Half of Erie Township’s homes were built after 2001
Most of Erie Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1951 on and old-book passages.
Erie Township was organized on August 27, 1839. Originally called Black Hawk Township, it was renamed in September 1847 for the Wabash and Erie Canal. Samuel McClure, a trader who arrived in the fall of 1827, is considered the first European to have entered the area, establishing an Indian trading post on the Abraham Dingman farm. Settlement began in 1835, encouraged by the new canal. The Methodists and United Brethren were the first religious organizations in the township, organizing in 1846 and 1849 respectively.
An 1896 history of the county recounts a short description of early life in the area as described by George Nicholson, a pioneer who settled in Erie Township in 1844:
Passages that mention Erie Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Miami County, Indiana, from the earliest time to the present1887 · page 438Read the page →
Read the text
Benjamin and Catharine (Miller) Hostetler, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. Our subject was reared on a farm in his native county, and then settled on a farm in Erie Township, where he remained until 1883, when he came to Peru Township. He has held the offices of Assessor and Trustee of Erie Township, and is the possessor of 280 acres of fine land situated in these townships. June 25, 1846, he and Miss Elizabeth Shetler were united in holy
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Erie Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1951Richvalley 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 Erie Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Erie Township
Nobody well known was born in Erie Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
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 (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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