On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Princeton Township is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns. 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 Princeton 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 Princeton 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 (±7.5 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 Princeton 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 Princeton Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Princeton Township is one of twelve townships in White County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,525 and it contained 621 housing units. Princeton Township was organized in 1844, and named after the ship on which an early settler had immigrated to America.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,553 in 2010, 1,525 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Princeton Township in 1915
Passages that mention Princeton Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of White County, Indiana1915Read the page →
Read the text
Price, Mrs. Peter, 193 Price, Thomas, 281 Price, William, 201, 226 Princeton Township, pioneer settlement and civil organization almost coincident, 252; as the Palestine settlement, 253; godfather of the township, 253; created and named, 254; state and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A standard history of White County, Indiana1915Read the page →
Read the text
Clermont — Princeton Township was well represented in the "town boom" business, and on April 2, 1860, about four months after the opening of the railroad, Clermont was laid out by Christopher Hardy about one-half mile east of Wolcott and on the north side of the railroad.
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.
Princeton Township is more historic than 67% 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 Princeton Township?
46% of Princeton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.5 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1947.
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 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.
