On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madison Township is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #660 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madison 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 Madison Township’s 0.9 sits near the middle of its state (48% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±2.6 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 Madison Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
AltaColonial HillsEast MansfieldFairview Mobile Home ParkForest Hills Mobile ParkHidden Valley Mobile Home ParkMadison City Mobile Home ParkRoselandWooster Heights
Gone or out of use
Alta Post Officepost officeMaple Grove SchoolschoolSchool Number 12schoolYankeetown Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Madison Township
Lantz
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Madison Township on the map, 1908 to 1984
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Madison Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1908Ashland 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 Madison Township.
The story so far
Madison Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Madison Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Madison Township is one of the eighteen townships of Richland County, Ohio, United States. It is a part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2020 census found 11,106 people in the township.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 11,168 in 2010, 11,106 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Madison Township in 1902
Passages that mention Madison Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Madison Township, including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio1902 · page 119Read the page →
Read the text
September 17, i860, a committee was appointed by the Board of Education of Madison Township consisting of Jacob Sarber, Wm. Perrin and Henry Long "for the purpose of visiting the school houses in sub-district Xo. 18 to ascertain whether they have school room enough, and to report at the April meeting." On April 15, 1861, this committee submitted a report which "was received and the committee discharged," and on
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Madison Township, including Groveport and Canal Winchester, Franklin County, Ohio1902 · page 76Read the page →
Read the text
We will supplement the list of township officers with a list of Madison Township citizens who have Tield county, state and other honorary positions. In October of 1827 John Swisher succeeded James Kilbourne as county assessor, and served until 1835, The office of county assessor was abolished in 1841, when the office of Township Assesssor was created.
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.
Madison Township is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #660 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 Madison Township?
One place: the Samuel Lewis House (listed 1982).
How old are the homes in Madison Township?
11% of Madison Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 (10), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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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