On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hendricks Township is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hendricks 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 Hendricks 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 (±15.1 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 Hendricks Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Marietta
1848–1904
Smithland
1853–1901
Bengal
1881–1902
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BengalMariettaSmithland
1cemetery inside Hendricks Township
Miller
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Hendricks Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hendricks Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hendricks Township is one of fourteen townships in Shelby County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,286 and it contained 517 housing units. The township bears the name of Governor William Hendricks.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,286 to 1,231 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Hendricks Township, 1848 to 1904
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Hendricks Township is more historic than 60% 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 Hendricks Township?
33% of Hendricks Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±15.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 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.