On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Union Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #249 of 593 in Indiana. All 2 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 Union 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 Union Township’s 2.2 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Indiana towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±4.3 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 Union Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Union Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Union Township is one of fifteen townships in DeKalb County, Indiana. As of the 2020 census, its population was 13,718, up from 13,220 at the 2010 census, and it contained 6,104 housing units. Craig Bassett is the current elected Trustee.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 13,220 to 13,718 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Union Township in 1885
Passages that mention Union Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The township of Smithfield occupies the north central part of Dc Kalb County, and is bounded as follows: on the north Steuben Township, Steuben County ; on the east, Franklin Township; on the south, Union Township; and on the west, Fairfield Township. The Fort Wayne, Jackson & Saginaw division of the Michigan Southern Railroad runs due north and south through the central part of the township, and has onestation within its limits — Summit. The township is drained by
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
5. 1S37, present Peter Fair, Samuel Widney and A. F. Beecher, it was "ordered that the congressional township 34 north, range 13 east, be organized as a township for judicial (civil) purposes, to be known by the name of Union Township, and that townships 34 and 35 north, range 12 east, and townships 33 and 35 north, range 13 east, be attached thereto." It was also ordered " that Wesley Park be appointed Supervisor for the road district No. 1, comprising the whole of Union Township;
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.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Union Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1957Waterloo 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 Union Township.
On the National Register
3 historic places in Union Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
places listed
3
National Historic Landmark
1
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
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 Union Township
Nobody well known was born in Union Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Union Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #249 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 Union Township?
23% of Union Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.3 points), against a typical 14% for an Indiana town; the median home was built in 1980.
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, 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.
