The story
Read it all →How Jefferson Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Jefferson Township.
Jefferson Township was organized in 1806. It is named for Thomas Jefferson.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What stands out about Jefferson 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 Jefferson Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Jefferson Township, and 4 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19163 editions of the USGS map, 1916 to 1974. Watch Jefferson Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Jefferson Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Jefferson Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Blue Creek
Wamsley
Selig
Blue Creek
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blue CreekJones CornerSeligWamsley
Gone or out of use
Blue Creek Post Officepost officeBlue Creek SchoolschoolCaraway SchoolschoolCassel SchoolschoolJohnson Run SchoolschoolLower Churn Creek SchoolschoolMount Unger SchoolschoolShawnee SchoolschoolWinterstein Schoolschool
8cemeteries and burying grounds inside Jefferson Township
CasselDrakeHigh HillManchesterMoores ChapelMount UngerWamsleyWinterstein
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Jefferson Township on the map, 1916 to 1974
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Jefferson Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Peebles sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Jefferson Township.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Jefferson Township in 1900
Passages that mention Jefferson Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
![William Lewis, a son of Philip Lewis, in writing of the early settlers in Jefferson Township in 1879, said: "My father, Philip Lewis, came to Jefferson Township in 1797 [the land records show that he was here in 1796], and settled on Blue Creek near where it empties into Scioto Brush Creek. He buil…](https://images.townratings.com/story/30945/bk-4edb0262867c6c93-l.jpg)
A history of Adams County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, including character sketches of the prominent persons identified with the first century of the country's growth ..1900 · page 429Read the page →
Read the text
William Lewis, a son of Philip Lewis, in writing of the early settlers in Jefferson Township in 1879, said: "My father, Philip Lewis, came to Jefferson Township in 1797 [the land records show that he was here in 1796], and settled on Blue Creek near where it empties into Scioto Brush Creek. He built a saw and grist mill the same year. James and Joseph Williams were here when father came. They had come the year before.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Adams County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, including character sketches of the prominent persons identified with the first century of the country's growth ..1900 · page 428Read the page →
Read the text
Jefferson Township, named for President Jefferson, was organized in 1806, as will be seen by reference to the chapter on "Organization of the Townships," from territory formerly included in Iron Ridge 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.
Timeline
Jefferson Township, 1844 to 1933
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1844Post officeThe Blue Creek post office opens
- 1869Post officeThe Wamsley post office opens
- 1886Post officeThe Selig post office opens
- 20th century
- 1907Post officeThe Blue Creek post office closes
- 1907Post officeThe Selig post office closes
- 1916
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey - 1933Post officeThe Wamsley post office closes
By decade
Jefferson Township, decade by decade
2015
2013
2013
2012
2007Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Jefferson Township
Nobody well known was born in Jefferson Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Jefferson Township’s history
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, 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.