Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ferdinand Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ferdinand Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #159 of 593 in Indiana. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ferdinand 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 Ferdinand Township’s 683 sits above most of its state (97% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 247 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points). Two sources give 1840.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Ferdinand Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Ferdinand was founded in 1840 by Fr. Joseph Kundek and was named after the Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria. The town was settled by mostly German-speaking people from central Europe. At one time Ferdinand was known as the wooden shoe village. At the end of the 19th century, Ferdinand contained many businesses, including a machine works, a brick works, brewery, several taverns, and a dairy.
In 1867, the Monastery of Immaculate Conception was founded in Ferdinand.
In 1906, the Ferdinand News was established as the local newspaper.
Just prior to World War II the Civilian Conservation Corps created the Ferdinand State Forest.
Passages that mention Ferdinand Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and art souvenir of Dubois County1896 · page 17Read the page →
Read the text
Ferdinand Township. Abner Hobbs, on August 3, 1834, entered the north half of the south east quarter section 22, township 3 south, range 4 west. This tract lies nearly two miles northeast of Ferdinand. Notice the date when Jefferson township’s first entry was made. In this respect the two townships divide honors, both equally last in the entry of land, in Dubois County.
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 Ferdinand Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Saint Meinrad 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 Ferdinand Township.
People over time
Ferdinand Township, census by census
Between 500 and 2,318 people in every census since 1880.
14 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Ferdinand Township’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
In 1840, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Ferdinand Township’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 1880 counted 500 people here.
How does Ferdinand Township rank for history?
Ferdinand Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #159 of 593 in Indiana. 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.
What is on the National Register in Ferdinand Township?
4 listings: 1 building, among them the Convent Immaculate Conception Historic District (listed 1983, the first). 247 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ferdinand Township?
14% of Ferdinand Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1974.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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