Catawba Island Township’s post office opened in 1868, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #759 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Catawba Island Wine Company, the Betsy Mo-John Cabin and the Union Chapel. Most of Catawba Island Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1901 on.
The Catawba Island Township post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Catawba Island (1868), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 3,711158 years
How historic is Catawba Island Township?
C+
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Catawba Island Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Catawba Island Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Catawba Island Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #759 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Catawba Island 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 Catawba Island Township’s 8.2 sits above most of its state (72% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. 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 Catawba Island 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 Catawba Island Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Put-In-Bay 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 Catawba Island Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Another post office, Catawba Island, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Catawba IslandFoxhavenGem Beach
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Catawba Island Township
Catawba IslandK'burg
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Catawba Island Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Catawba Island Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Catawba Island Township is one of the twelve townships of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,711 people in the township.
Its first post office opened in 1868. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,599 to 3,711 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Catawba Island Township, 1868 to 1917
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Catawba Island Township post office opened in 1868, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Catawba Island Township rank for history?
Catawba Island Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #759 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 Catawba Island Township?
Three places: the Catawba Island Wine Company (listed 1983), the Betsy Mo-John Cabin (1976) and the Union Chapel (2021).
How old are the homes in Catawba Island Township?
3% of Catawba Island Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (3), 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.
