The Sparta Township post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name. Four smaller post offices, Sparta (1846), Jones Station (1857) and Cold Spring (1874), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,887180 years
How historic is Sparta Township?
A−
More historic than 84% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Sparta Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Sparta Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Sparta Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #190 of 593 in Indiana. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Sparta 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 Sparta Township’s 6.8 sits near the middle of its state (58% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±9.8 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 Sparta Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A post office was established at Sparta in 1846, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1904. Sparta took its name from Sparta Township.
Sparta's progress in the 1840s was checked by an outbreak of cholera. The community has two churches, Sparta First Baptist Church and South Sparta Church. South Sparta Church started as Cold Springs Presbyterian Church and was built in 1889. South Sparta Church currently has church services once a month.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sparta Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1958Dillsboro 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 Sparta Township.
On the National Register
2 historic places in Sparta Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Famous people
Famous people close to Sparta Township
Nobody well known was born in Sparta Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Sparta Township post office opened in 1846, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Sparta Township rank for history?
Sparta Township is more historic than 84% of U.S. towns, #190 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 Sparta Township?
27% of Sparta Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.8 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 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.
