The Prairie Creek Township post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Vigo (1844) and Hutton (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,067204 years
How historic is Prairie Creek Township?
B+
More historic than 74% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Prairie Creek Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Prairie Creek Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Prairie Creek Township is more historic than 74% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Prairie Creek 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 Prairie Creek Township’s 8.7 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±11.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Prairie Creek Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Middletown was laid out August 24, 1831, by James D. Piety on the old Vincennes Road. Early businesses included Daniel Ryerson's hotel and drug store, Jonas P. Lykins's store, Z. J. Hunt's hotel, and Hiram Hight's steam mill in 1847. Jacob Ernest built the first brick house, in 1849.
The post office at Prairie Creek has been in operation since 1822.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Prairie Creek Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1932Marshall sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Prairie Creek Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Prairie Creek Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
The Prairie Creek Township post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Prairie Creek Township rank for history?
Prairie Creek Township is more historic than 74% 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 Prairie Creek Township?
One place: the Linton Township High School and Community Building (listed 2002).
How old are the homes in Prairie Creek Township?
16% of Prairie Creek 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 1949.
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 Wikimedia Commons (1), 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.
2016
