On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cass Township is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cass Township’s overall grade.
Missouri towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Missouri town has 2.4 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cass Township’s 15.0 sits above most of its state (77% of Missouri 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 (±5.1 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 Cass 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 Cass Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Cass Township is a township in Texas County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. Cass Township was originally called "Benton Township", and under the latter name was established in 1845, and named after Thomas Hart Benton. The present name, adopted in 1850, honors Lewis Cass.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,268 to 1,065 (-16%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Cass Township, 1860 to 1945
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cass Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1945Clear Springs 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 Cass Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Cass Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Cass Township is more historic than 67% of U.S. towns. 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 Cass Township?
One place: the Cole, Arthur W., and Chloe B., House (listed 1998).
How old are the homes in Cass Township?
13% of Cass Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1984.
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), 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.
