On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Allen Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #544 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Allen Township’s overall grade.
Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Allen Township’s 3.9 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Ohio 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 (±8.1 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 Allen 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
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Buck Run
1829–1843
Allen Centre
1851–1863
Pottersburg
1869–1926
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Allen CenterHunters RunPottersburg
Gone or out of use
Allen Centre Post Officepost officeHenpeck SchoolschoolPottersburg Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Allen Township
BroderickBuck Run
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Allen Township on the map, 1916 to 1973
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Allen Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Milford Center 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 Allen Township.
Statewide, other Allen Townships are located in Darke, Hancock, and Ottawa Counties.
Allen Township was organized on June 5, 1827. The town was named for Daniel Allen, one of the first settlers to the area. Allen was one of the first thirteen citizens to vote in the township, and was one of the first trustees.
One of the township's first settlers was Angus Clark; his son Shepard became a leading farmer in the township, and the Clark family property is today a local landmark known as "The Fort".
Passages that mention Allen Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Union County, Ohio, containing a history of the county1883 · page 451Read the page →
Read the text
AT the time of the organization of Union County, the territory now comprising Allen Township was embraced in Union Township. In 1822, when Liberty Township was formed, this territory was then mostly embraced therein, and thus remained until June 5, 1827, when, at a meeting of the Commissioners of Union County, it was agreed " that a new township be set off to be called Allen Township, to be bounded as follows, to wit: Beginning at the southeast corner of Liberty Township, thence running with the east line of said township north six miles; thence running west to the west line of said
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Allen Township, 1829 to 1926
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Allen Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #544 of 993 in Ohio. 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 Allen Township?
One place: the Fort, The (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Allen Township?
13% of Allen Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.1 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2015
