On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orange Township is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #119 of 593 in Indiana. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orange 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 Orange Township’s 53.6 sits above most of its state (75% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 21 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% 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 (±5.9 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 Orange Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Gene Stratton-Porter Cabin (Rome City, Indiana), also known as the Cabin at Wildflower Woods, was the lakeside home of author, nature photographer, naturalist, and silent movie-era producer Gene Stratton-Porter. The cabin was built in 1913 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The historic property, where Stratton-Porter lived until 1919, has been designated as the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site. It is operated by the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites and open to the public. Scenes from the 1927 movie based on Stratton-Porter's book, The Harvester, were filmed at Wildflower Woods in 1927.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Orange Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1955Kendallville 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 Orange Township.
On the National Register
3 listings protect 21 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Orange Township is more historic than 92% of U.S. towns, #119 of 593 in Indiana. 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 Orange Township?
3 listings: 1 building, among them the Brimfield School No. 2 (listed 2019, the first). 21 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Orange Township?
28% of Orange Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1973.
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.
