Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #435 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of Ross Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1953 on and old-book passages.
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ross Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #435 of 593 in Indiana. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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 Ross Township’s 1.4 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ross Township’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Ross Township.
Ross was named for William Ross, a pioneer settler. A post office was established at Ross in 1857, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1914.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Ross Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
But the wooded lands and the strong currents of Deep River had a practical attraction to pioneer builders and mill-men, who early commenced to locate their claims and crowd out Poor Lo. In connection with the history of Ross Township, it seems to be rather a trick of fate, and also an unjust one, that neither the location of its first settler, nor the settlement to which he gave his name, should be left within the boundaries of the township.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The present St. John Township comprises forty sections in the westem and northwest-central portion of Lake County. It was formed at a meeting of the county commissioners held June 8, 18-18, and was taken, with Ross Township, from the northern part of old Center, It was originally seven miles from east to west and six miles from north to south, but about 1890, when Griffith was platted, two of its northeastern sections were incorporated into that town, which was attached to Calumet Township. This reduced the township to forty sections.
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.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ross Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ross Township.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Nobody well known was born in Ross Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Ross Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #435 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.
4% of Ross Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.1 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1982.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
