Most of Owen Township was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1890.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Owen Township is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Owen 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 Owen 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 (±10.3 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 Owen Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mooney
1848–1930
Kurtz
1890–today
Norman Station
1890–1935
Norman
1935–today
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Clear SpringKurtzNormanPleasantville
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Owen Township
BagwellKurtzScott - Wray
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Owen Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Owen Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Owen Township is one of twelve townships in Jackson County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,588 and it contained 667 housing units. It was named for the local Owen family of pioneer settlers.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,572 in 2010, 1,588 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Owen Township, 1848 to 1959
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Owen Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1959Kurtz 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 Owen Township.
People over time
Owen Township, census by census
Between 1,329 and 2,031 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Owen Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Owen Township
Nobody well known was born in Owen Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Owen Township is more historic than 26% 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 Owen Township?
10% of Owen Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1982.
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, 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.
