The story
Read it all →How Garfield Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Garfield Township.
Garfield is named for James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick answers
How Garfield Township began
When was Garfield Township founded?
1873
The Garfield Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.
First census: 333 in 19102020 census: 184153 years
Founding year: the first Garfield Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
What stands out about Garfield 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 Garfield Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18894 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1985. Watch Garfield Township change.Old housesHalf of Garfield Township’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 451 in 1930; 151 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Garfield Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Garfield Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Garfield Township on the map, 1889 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Garfield Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1889Larned sheet · 1:125,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Garfield Township.
By decade
Garfield Township, decade by decade
2009
2005
2005
2005On the National Register
1 historic place in Garfield Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2013
Coon Creek Crossing on the Santa Fe Trail (Wet …
Sites
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Garfield Township, census by census
Peaked at 451 in 1930; 151 people lived here in 2020.
12 censuses, 1910–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Garfield Township’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Garfield Township
Nobody well known was born in Garfield Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
D
Dale BurnettAmerican football player · b. 1909
M
Mitch WebsterAmerican baseball player · b. 1959
B
Belle BenchleyAmerican zoo director · b. 1882G
Glee S. Smith, Jr.American lawyer and politician · b. 1921Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Orange TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPleasant Ridge TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWayne TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLogan TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKinsley Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Garfield Township’s history
What year was Garfield Township founded?
The Garfield Township post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What is on the National Register in Garfield Township?
One place: the Coon Creek Crossing on the Santa Fe Trail (Wet Route) (listed 2013).
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (4), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.