The Peru Township post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Peru (1820) and Pontiac (1848), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,054206 years
How historic is Peru Township?
A−
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Peru Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Peru Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Peru Township is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Peru 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 Peru Township’s 8.7 sits above most of its state (72% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
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 (±8.2 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 Peru Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Peru
1820–1904
Pontiac
1848–1882
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
PeruPontiac
Gone or out of use
Laurel Hill SchoolschoolPeru Officepost officePontiac Post Officepost officeSchool Number 1schoolSchool Number 10schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 6schoolSchool Number 6school
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Peru Township
Peru CenterPontiac
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Peru Township on the map, 1915 to 1972
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Peru Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1915Norwalk 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 Peru Township.
The story so far
Peru Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Peru Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Peru Township is one of the nineteen townships of Huron County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census the population of the township was 1,054.
Its first post office opened in 1820. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,105 to 1,054 (-5%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Peru Township, 1820 to 1915
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Peru Township post office opened in 1820, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Peru Township rank for history?
Peru Township is more historic than 76% 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 Peru Township?
One place: the Macksville Tavern (listed 1976).
How old are the homes in Peru Township?
14% of Peru Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1988.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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.