Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lewis Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lewis Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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 Lewis 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 Lewis Township’s 348 sits above most of its state (93% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 34 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1838.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.6 points).
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Lewis Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was laid out September 9, 1838, by Addison Williams near the south line of Vigo County, on the Centerville wagon road, which was used by the pony express for a few years. The first business in town was a tannery established by Joseph Stutman, and the first house was built by Charles Stewart in 1842. A cabinet shop run by the Buskirks and John B. Smith's blacksmith shop soon followed. Dodson & Jenkins opened a store in 1844. Lewis had a log school-house for many years, and established itself as a canal town as well.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lewis Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1940Jasonville 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 Lewis Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Lewis Township
Nobody well known was born in Lewis Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
In 1838, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lewis Township’s post office opened in 1849.
How does Lewis Township rank for history?
Lewis Township is more historic than 91% 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 Lewis Township?
One place: the Shakamak State Park Historic District (listed 2000).
How old are the homes in Lewis Township?
21% of Lewis Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.6 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1977.
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 (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.
