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History · Vernon Township

Half of Vernon Township’s homes were built after 1958

Most of Vernon Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1958.

0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Vernon Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Vernon Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Vernon Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Vernon Township’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Vernon Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Vernon Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Claysville
1825–1906
Smedley
1884–1928
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ClaysvilleSmedley
Gone or out of use
Owsley Quarrymine
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Vernon Township
HamiltonMount Tabor Christian ChurchOld Smedley

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Vernon Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Vernon Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Vernon Township is one of thirteen townships in Washington County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 667 and it contained 263 housing units.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 669 in 2010, 667 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Vernon Township, 1825 to 1928

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1825Post officeThe Claysville post office opens
  3. 1884Post officeThe Smedley post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1906Post officeThe Claysville post office closes
  6. 1928Post officeThe Smedley post office closes
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.
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Famous people

Famous people close to Vernon Township

Nobody well known was born in Vernon Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
G
Gus GrissomAmerican astronaut · b. 1926
John HayAmerican statesman · b. 1838
Gale RobbinsAmerican singer, and actress · b. 1921
Newton BoothGovernor of California · b. 1825
Erin HouchinAmerican politician · b. 1976
John PicklerAmerican politician · b. 1844
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Howard Township2 historic placesC+Washington Township7 historic placesABrown TownshipIts storyCNortheast TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMadison TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Vernon Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From 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.