St. John Township dates to 1837, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #369 of 593 in Indiana. What drives it
Most of St. John Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1992. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1953 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1846.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives St. John Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, St. John Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #369 of 593 in Indiana. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of St. John 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 St. John Township’s 0.6 sits near the middle of its state (45% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% 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 (±0.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1837.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 St. John Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The St. John post office was established in 1846. The community took its name from Saint Johns Church. The Church was the first church in Lake County and was founded by German immigrant John Hack.
St. John is home to the Shrine of Christ's Passion, opened in 2008. An interactive display of the Passion of Christ, it contains 40 life-size statues depicting the time from the Agony in the Garden all the way to the Resurrection. It has attracted visitors from all 50 US states and more than 40 countries.
The Francis P. Keilman House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
Passages that mention St. John Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of Lake County, Indiana, and the Calumet region1915 · page 185Read the page →
Read the text
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of St. John Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1953St John 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 St. John Township.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewStJohnIN
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on St. John Township’s page.
In 1837, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. St. John Township’s post office opened in 1846, and the census of 1880 counted 40 people here.
How does St. John Township rank for history?
St. John Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #369 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 St. John Township?
3% of St. John Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), 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 Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.
Date?
2025
2025
2025
2015
2013
2011
2008
2006
