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Immaculate Conception Church Grafton OHPhoto: TnrSmith · CC BY-SA 3.0
A−History
History · Grafton Township

Grafton Township dates to 1846, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #347 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Its Register listing is the Justin Breckenridge House. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1890.

1846founded
1on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Grafton Township began

When was Grafton Township founded?

1846

Grafton Township dates its founding to 1846 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 600 in 18902020 census: 2,789180 years

How historic is Grafton Township?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Grafton Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Grafton Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #347 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Grafton Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1846, from Wikipedia: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.8% of homes (±7.2) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register1 listing, 5 historic buildings, 17.8 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 65%

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 Grafton Township’s 17.8 sits above most of its state (80% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 5 historic buildings outnumber those of 70% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1846.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.2 points).

Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Grafton 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 Grafton Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1990 and 2000, then more than doubled.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Grafton Township, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1973. Watch Grafton Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Grafton Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Grafton 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
People over time

Grafton Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,00019001920194019601980200020203,344 in 1990Low: 2,302

Lost a third of its people between 1990 and 2000, then more than doubled.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Erhart
1873–1943
Belden
1876–1902
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BeldenKingsleys Corners
Gone or out of use
Belden Post Officepost officeErhart Post Officepost office
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Grafton Township
AldrichBeldenNorth Street

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Grafton Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Grafton Township.

Read it all →

In 1846, Grafton was platted when the railroad was extended to that point. The village's name may be a transfer from Grafton, Massachusetts. To avoid confusion with Grafton Township and the communities of Grafton Center and Grafton Station, Grafton was renamed to Rawsonville in May 1852. The name reverted to Grafton upon incorporation as a village on January 1, 1877. On September 30, 1990, Grafton withdrew from Grafton and Eaton townships by forming a paper township named Rawsonville Township.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Grafton Township, 1846 to 2010

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1846
    FoundingGrafton Township is established
  3. 1873Post officeThe Erhart post office opens
  4. 1876Post officeThe Belden post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902Post officeThe Belden post office closes
  7. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1943Post officeThe Erhart post office closes
  9. 21st century
  10. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 6,636
By decade

Grafton Township, decade by decade

Today24 recent
REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0021)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0020)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0019)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0018)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0017)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0016)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0015)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0014)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0013)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0012)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0011)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0010)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0009)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0008)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0007)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0006)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0005)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0004)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0003)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0002)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio Town (20240827-USDA-RD-OH-MLM-0001)2024REAP Grant Brings Affordable Fresh Food to Rural Ohio…Map of Lorain County Ohio Highlighting Grafton Village2015Map of Lorain County Ohio Highlighting Grafton VillageMapGrafton Elementary School2012Grafton Elementary SchoolOHMap-doton-Grafton2004OHMap-doton-Grafton
On the map

Grafton Township on the map, 1904 to 1973

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

Grafton Township on the 1904 USGS mapGrafton Township on the 1960 USGS mapGrafton Township on the 1973 USGS map1904Wellington 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 Grafton Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Grafton Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Justin Breckenridge House
Justin Breckenridge House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Justin Breckenridge HouseGreek Revival

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Grafton2 historic placesB+Liverpool Township3 historic placesB+LaGrange TownshipIts storyB−Litchfield TownshipIts storyB−Eaton TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Grafton Township’s history

What year was Grafton Township founded?

In 1846, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Grafton Township’s post office opened in 1873, and the census of 1890 counted 600 people here.

How does Grafton Township rank for history?

Grafton Township is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #347 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 Grafton Township?

One place: the Justin Breckenridge House (listed 1978).

How old are the homes in Grafton Township?

11% of Grafton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1980.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (24), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.