On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grand River Township is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #211 of 247 in Missouri. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grand River 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 Grand River Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Missouri towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% 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 (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
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 Grand River Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Gridley
1898–1906
Fordham
1906–1909
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
FordhamGridley
Gone or out of use
Wamsley Churchchurch
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Grand River Township
DelanoWamsley
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Grand River Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Grand River Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Grand River Township is a township in DeKalb County, Missouri, United States. At the 2020 census, its population was 4,371. Grand River Township was established in 1845, taking its name from the Grand River.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 5,893 to 4,371 (-26%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Grand River Township, 1898 to 1923
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 Grand River Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1923Maysville 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 Grand River Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Grand River Township
Nobody well known was born in Grand River Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Grand River Township is more historic than 17% of U.S. towns, #211 of 247 in Missouri. 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.
How old are the homes in Grand River Township?
5% of Grand River Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 8.4% for a Missouri town; the median home was built in 1994.
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 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.
