On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Otsego Township is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #420 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Otsego 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 Otsego 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 (±6.6 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 Otsego Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Otsego Township
North OtsgeoOtsego CenterTeegardin
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Otsego Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Otsego Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Otsego Township is one of twelve townships in Steuben County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,466, down from 2,575 at 2010, and it contained 1,780 housing units.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,575 to 2,466 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Otsego Township in 1885
Passages that mention Otsego Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Steuben County, Indiana, together with... biographies of representative citizens1885 · page 618Read the page →
Read the text
Porter. In March, 1868, Mr. Porter moved to Steuben County and settled near the center of Richland Township, and in the fall of 1871 moved to Mctz, and in the fall of 1873 bought a farm in Otsego Township. In February, 1882, he sold his farm and returned to Metz and engaged in the hardware business with his brother James till February, 1884, when he sold his interest in the stock. Since the spring of 1885 he has been engaged in the manufacture of drainage tile and brick. In April, 1882, Mr. Porter
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Otsego Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1939Hamilton 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 Otsego Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Otsego Township
Nobody well known was born in Otsego Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Otsego Township is more historic than 42% of U.S. towns, #420 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.
How old are the homes in Otsego Township?
18% of Otsego Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
