From Newport Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Newport Township began
When was Newport Township founded?
1815
The Newport Township post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name. Eight smaller post offices, Lower Newport (1842), Barber (1852) and Newell Run (1866), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,901211 years
How historic is Newport Township?
A−
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Newport Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Newport Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Newport Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Newport 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 Newport Township’s 9.2 sits above most of its state (73% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.5 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Newport 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 Newport Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Marietta 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 Newport Township.
The story so far
Newport Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Newport Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Newport Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 1,901 people in the township.
Its first post office opened in 1815. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,988 to 1,901 (-4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Newport Township, 1815 to 1904
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Newport Township post office opened in 1815, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Newport Township rank for history?
Newport Township is more historic than 82% 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.
What is on the National Register in Newport Township?
Two places: the Hildreth Covered Bridge (listed 1978) and the Judge Joseph Barker Jr. House (1979).
How old are the homes in Newport Township?
19% of Newport Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.5 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (2), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.