Most of Spencer Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: maps from 1959 on and the census since 1890.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spencer Township is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Spencer 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 Spencer 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 (±6.8 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 Spencer Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1900 and 1930, then more than doubled.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Spencer Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Spencer Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Spencer Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Spencer Township is one of eleven townships in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,416 (up from 2,326 at 2010) and it contained 938 housing units.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,326 to 2,416 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Spencer Township, 1837 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Spencer Township.
1959Hayden 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 Spencer Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Spencer Township
Nobody well known was born in Spencer Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Spencer Township is more historic than 18% 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 Spencer Township?
6% of Spencer Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1992.
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) 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.
