1 of Barry Township’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 43% of U.S. towns · #429 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Hickory Lodge No. 345. Most of Barry Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1974. Below: maps from 1918 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barry Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #429 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barry Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barry Township’s 2.9 sits above most of its state (72% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±3.6 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 Barry Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barry Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1918Galesburg sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Barry Township.
Barry Township was the original township, with boundaries co-extensive with Barry County, from which all the townships of the county were partitioned. On March 23, 1836, a legislative act provided for the organization of Barry Township of Barry. The first township meeting was held at the house of Nicholas Campbell in Barry Township (now Prairieville Township) on 4 April 1836.
Barry Township is more historic than 43% of U.S. towns, #429 of 701 in Michigan. 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.
What is on the National Register in Barry Township?
One place: the Hickory Lodge No. 345 (listed 2021).
How old are the homes in Barry Township?
5% of Barry Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
