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History · Jefferson Township

35% of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1940 on.

0on the National Register
35%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

Where Jefferson Township’s name came from

How did Jefferson Township get its name?

Jefferson Township was named after President Thomas Jefferson.

Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Jefferson Township’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Jefferson Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jefferson Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Jefferson Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Jefferson Township.

Read it all →

Jefferson Township was established on March 29, 1871, from the southern part of Jackson Township and the northern part of Washington Township. It was named after President Thomas Jefferson.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Jefferson Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
JeffersonTownshipNodawayCouuntyMO2025JeffersonTownshipNodawayCouuntyMO
On the map

Jefferson Township on the map, 1940 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jefferson Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Jefferson Township on the 1940 USGS mapJefferson Township on the 1985 USGS map1940Parnell 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 Jefferson Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Jefferson Township

Nobody well known was born in Jefferson Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Dale CarnegieAmerican writer and lecturer · b. 1888
Sarah CaldwellAmerican opera conductor, impresario, and stage… · b. 1924
Lynne OvermanAmerican actor · b. 1887
Edward H. MooreAmerican politician · b. 1871
J
Jerry WallaceAmerican country and pop singer · b. 1928
Truman H. LandonUnited States general · b. 1905
Places that used to be

Old corners and places now gone

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
ConceptionMonastery
Gone or out of use
Bristol Ridge SchoolschoolHazel Grove Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Jackson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWashington TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGrant Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPolk Township7 historic placesB+Wilson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCooper TownshipIts storyB−

Questions about Jefferson Township’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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 (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.