Its Register listings are the Beck's Mill Bridge and the Beck's Mill. Most of Howard Township was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1890.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Howard Township is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Howard 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 Howard Township’s 24.1 sits above most of its state (68% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±3.5 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 Howard Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Howard Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Howard Township is one of thirteen townships in Washington County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,272 and it contained 485 housing units. It was named for Gen. Tilghman Howard.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,262 in 2010, 1,272 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Howard Township, 1846 to 1950
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Howard Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1950Becks Mill 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 Howard Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Howard Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Howard Township is more historic than 38% 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.
What is on the National Register in Howard Township?
Two places: the Beck's Mill Bridge (listed 2007) and the Beck's Mill (1990).
How old are the homes in Howard Township?
2% of Howard Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.5 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
