Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #919 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Clay Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1968. Below: maps from 1911 on and old-book passages.
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Clay Township is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #919 of 993 in Ohio. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Clay Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Clay Township’s history is told.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Clay Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Clay Township.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Clay Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Clay Township is one of the sixteen townships of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census counted 3,516 people in the township.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,690 to 3,516 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Passages that mention Clay Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
graduate of William and Mary College. Our subject inherited the Davis farm in Valley Township. He came to Ohio, in 1836, and located near Chillicothe. In 1838, he came to Scioto County and located in Clay Township. From 1840 to 1843, he was a Justice of the Peace in that Township. From December 2nd, 1846 to February 8th, 1847, he represented Scioto and Lawrence Counties in the House, being elected as a Whig over Judge Batterson. He remained on his farm until 1856. He was appointed Assessor of the United States
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Moses Gregory and William Newman voted with him on. the coffee houses. ‘They were always in the minority but they voted their principles and were satisfied. In 1858, Mr, Fryer was a Trustee of Clay Township. In 1861, he was First Lieutenant of the third ward Home Guards, and was one of the most loyal men in Portsmouth. In 1867, he was again a Trustee of Wayne ‘Township.
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.
Nobody well known was born in Clay Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Clay Township is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #919 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.
6% of Clay Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1968.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
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