On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Prairie Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #388 of 593 in Indiana. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Prairie 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 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 (±4.8 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 Prairie Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Prairie Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Prairie Township is one of twelve townships in White County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,384 and it contained 1,413 housing units. Prairie Township was organized in 1834. The township was named for the open prairies within its borders.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,180 to 3,384 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Prairie Township in 1915
Passages that mention Prairie Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of White County, Indiana1915Read the page →
Read the text
Eastern Timber Lands First Settled In view of the natural features of Prairie Township, it is easy to understand why its eastern sections were quite well settled before the fertile prairies of the west were scarcely scratched. The explanation is so well put by one who wrote from observation that we quote : ' ' The first settlers of Prairie township were mainly from Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and it is not a matter for wonder that they preferred the wooded section for a dwelling place. Grubbing and clearing the land of
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.
Timeline
Prairie Township, 1881 to 1962
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 Prairie Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1962Brookston SW 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 Prairie Township.
People over time
Prairie Township, census by census
Between 1,812 and 3,384 people in every census since 1890.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Prairie Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Prairie Township
Nobody well known was born in Prairie Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Prairie Township is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns, #388 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 Prairie Township?
23% of Prairie Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1975.
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), 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.
