Most of Groton Township was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: maps from 1901 on and old-book passages.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Groton Township is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Groton 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 Groton 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.
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 (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.
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 Groton 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 Groton Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1901Bellevue 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 Groton Township.
The story so far
Groton Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Groton Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Groton Township is one of the nine townships of Erie County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,379.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,427 to 1,379 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Groton Township in 1916
Passages that mention Groton Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A standard history of Erie County, Ohio1916 · page 1003Read the page →
Read the text
and manhood. He lived at home with his mother and step-father until reaching his majoritj', and profited by attendance at such schools as existed in that community. His first indi|Hiiili-nt work as a farmer was done in Groton Township, where he li\ftl six >. ars, and the following three 3'ears in Lyman Township of Huron County. Returning to Groton Township, he spent another four years there, and then moved to the Captain Coulter farm in Milan Township near Avery. That was the scene of his productive efforts for nineteen years, and he carried on his
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A standard history of Erie County, Ohio1916 · page 676Read the page →
Read the text
A native of Groton Township of Erie County, he Avas a son of Edward and Sarah L. (Sprague) Ford, and a brother of Andrew Ford, a prominent citizen of Groton Township, under whose name will be found more extended information concerning the family. The youth of Alfred Ford was spent on his father's farm in Groton Township and he depended upon the local schools for his early training.
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
Groton Township, 1894 to 1913
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Groton Township is more historic than 3% of U.S. towns. 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.
How old are the homes in Groton Township?
0.0% of Groton Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 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 Wikimedia Commons (3), 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.
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