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Grundy County Missouri Courthouse 20151003-064Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0
–Not graded
History · Trenton Township

Trenton Township dates to 1834, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

6 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1948 on and the census since 1860.

1834founded
6on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Trenton Township began

When was Trenton Township founded?

1834

Trenton Township dates its founding to 1834 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 617 in 18602020 census: 6,013192 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1842.The full story ↓

What stands out about Trenton 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 Trenton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register6 places on the National Register.Deep rootsEstablished in 1834: 192 years of Trenton Township.Old housesHalf of Trenton Township’s homes were built before 1962.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Trenton Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

6 historic places in Trenton Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Trenton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Trenton Township.

Read it all →

The Crowder State Park Vehicle Bridge, Jewett Norris Library, Plaza Hotel, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Trenton High School, and WPA Stock Barn and Pavilion are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1869, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad arrived in Trenton. In 1890, Avalon College, which had been founded in Avalon, Missouri by the United Brethren in 1869, moved to Trenton because of proximity to the railroad.

ChaptersThe Utopian Socialist Ruskin College Movement

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Trenton Township, decade by decade

Today7 recent
George Wolz House NRHP 100002690 Grundy County, MO2024George Wolz House NRHP 100002690 Grundy County, MOWPA Stock Barn and Pavilion2019WPA Stock Barn and PavilionTrenton Plaza Hotel2019Trenton Plaza HotelSt. Philips Episcopal Church2019St. Philips Episcopal ChurchJewitt Norris Library2019Jewitt Norris LibraryTrenton, Missouri2012Trenton, MissouriTrenton-hs-12010Trenton-hs-1
On the map

Trenton Township on the map, 1948 to 1984

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

Trenton Township on the 1948 USGS mapTrenton Township on the 1984 USGS map1948Trenton 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 Trenton Township.

People over time

Trenton Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,500190019502000Peak: 7,046

Between 617 and 7,046 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Trenton Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Mount Pleasant SchoolschoolReam SchoolschoolReed Schoolschool
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Trenton Township
County FarmDrummondDrummondGrundy CenterLancasterMaple GroveRedenbaughRoselawn

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.

Lincoln TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMadison Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMarion TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJackson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTrenton6 historic placesAWilson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJefferson TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Trenton Township’s history

What year was Trenton Township founded?

In 1834, according to Wikidata. Trenton Township’s post office opened in 1842, and the census of 1860 counted 617 people here.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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 Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.