On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jefferson Township is more historic than 58% 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 (±13.6 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 Jefferson Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Squatters were the first white settlers in the area. Barnett Stepp was the first known white settler in Jefferson Township. He moved with his family, from Kentucky, to the southern part of the future township in 1835. Stepp maintained a small home and farm until his death in 1852. A son-in-law of Stepp, named Horton, came to the township in 1836, settling on 160 acres just east of Stepp's land. Over the course of the decade, more families settled in the area. The first blacksmith shop was founded in the area in the late 1830s by Robert Smith, near Tetersburg. Miami Indians still resided in the area as of 1840. The area was very rural and early settlers struggled to acquire clothing and groceries. Farmers traded crops and animal skins for items they needed. People had to travel from Jefferson Township to Cicero, Indiana, which was 16 miles away and treacherous given the poor quality of r…
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jefferson Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1960Kempton 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 Jefferson Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Jefferson Township
Nobody well known was born in Jefferson Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Jefferson Township is more historic than 58% 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 Jefferson Township?
31% of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±13.6 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1965.
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), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
2013
