More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #425 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Riley Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1941 on and the census since 1930.
The Riley Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Ferrell (1903) and Keller (1903), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 260 in 19302020 census: 3,153186 years
How historic is Riley Township?
C+
More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Riley Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Riley Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Riley Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #425 of 593 in Indiana. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Riley 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 Riley 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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±2.9 points) is firm at this size. 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 Riley Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The original town of Lockport was platted on November 23, 1836, by Nathaniel Donham. It was known as Lockport due to its importance during the building of the Wabash and Erie Canal from 1847–1850. The canal town became a significant trading point along the waterway. Though the canal closed in 1873, the building of several different railroads kept the community as a place for trade. The town originally had various mills, sawmills and tanneries, but all were burned at different times. It was also notable in the grain market.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Riley Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Seelyville 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 Riley Township.
People over time
Riley Township, census by census
Between 160 and 287 people in every census since 1930.
10 censuses, 1930–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Riley Township’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Riley Township post office opened in 1840, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Riley Township rank for history?
Riley Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #425 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 Riley Township?
6% of Riley Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.9 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1993.
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), Wikipedia, 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.
2016
