The story
Read it all →How Putnam Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Putnam Township.
Putnam Township was established in 1870. It was named for Leander Putnam.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Putnam Township
19% of Putnam Township’s homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1885 on.
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
Where Putnam Township’s name came from
How did Putnam Township get its name?
Putnam Township was named for Leander Putnam.
Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Putnam 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 Putnam Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18855 editions of the USGS map, 1885 to 1990. Watch Putnam Township change.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Putnam Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Putnam Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Putnam 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
Putnam Township on the map, 1885 to 1990
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Putnam Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1885Garnett 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 Putnam Township.
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.
Scipio
Mount Gilead
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Scipio
Gone or out of use
Mount Gileadlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Putnam Township
Saint Boniface CatholicWest Scipio
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Putnam Township, 1859 to 1905
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Add from your albumFamous people
See all →Famous people close to Putnam Township
Nobody well known was born in Putnam Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Monroe TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJackson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRichmond TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWalker Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReeder Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Putnam Township’s history
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.