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History · Noble Township

54% of Noble Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1890.

0on the National Register
54%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Nyttend · Public domain

What stands out about Noble Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Noble Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Noble Township’s homes were built before 1938.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Noble Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Noble Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Noble Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Noble Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Noble Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Noble Township is one of twelve townships in Rush County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 587 and it contained 254 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 630 to 587 (-7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Orange
1826–1908
New Salem
1831–1943
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
New SalemOrange
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Noble Township
GreggHeatonPleasant Run

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Timeline

Noble Township, 1826 to 1959

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1826Post officeThe Orange post office opens
  3. 1831Post officeThe New Salem post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1908Post officeThe Orange post office closes
  6. 1943Post officeThe New Salem post office closes
  7. 1959On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Noble Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
New Salem UMC from north2015New Salem UMC from north
On the map

Noble Township on the map in 1959

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Noble Township.

Noble Township on the 1959 USGS map1959New Salem 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 Noble Township.

People over time

Noble Township, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,034

Between 587 and 1,034 people in every census since 1890.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Noble Township’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Noble Township

Nobody well known was born in Noble Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Charles MurrayAmerican film actor of the silent era · b. 1872
Robert B. F. PeirceAmerican politician · b. 1843
W
Wilfred SmithAmerican football player · b. 1899
S
Samuel Martin ThompsonAmerican philosopher · b. 1902
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Orange TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRichland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRushville Township11 historic placesA+Union Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAnderson Township1 historic placeA

Questions about Noble Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.