The Barlow Township post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Barlow (1829), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,560197 years
How historic is Barlow Township?
B+
More historic than 69% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Barlow Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Barlow Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barlow Township is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #435 of 993 in Ohio. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barlow 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 Barlow Township’s 3.9 sits near the middle of its state (61% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±10.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). 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 Barlow Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barlow Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Parkersburg 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 Barlow Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Barlow, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Barlow
1829–1829
Barlow
1837–today
Vincent
1857–today
Fleming
1866–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BarlowFlemingVincent
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Barlow Township
Barlow CentralBarnett Ridge
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Barlow Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Barlow Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Barlow is an unincorporated community in western Barlow Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a ZIP code 45712. It lies at the intersection of State Routes 339 and 550 near the South Fork of Wolf Creek, which meets the Muskingum River at Waterford to the north.
Its first post office opened in 1829. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,618 to 2,560 (-2%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Barlow Township, 1829 to 1904
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Barlow Township post office opened in 1829, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Barlow Township rank for history?
Barlow Township is more historic than 69% of U.S. towns, #435 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 Barlow Township?
One place: the Bell Covered Bridge (listed 2012).
How old are the homes in Barlow Township?
12% of Barlow Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.9 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1983.
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.
