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CHistory
History · Plain Township

1 of Plain Township’s places is on the National Register

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #858 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Most of Plain Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Below: maps from 1902 on.

1on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Sixflashphoto · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

About Plain Township’s history

How historic is Plain Township?

C

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Plain Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Plain Township is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #858 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Plain Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19403.0% of homes (±2.2) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 0.8 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 29%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 14%

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 Plain Township’s 0.8 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 (±2.2 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 Plain 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 Plain Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19025 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1982. Watch Plain Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Plain Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Plain Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Plain Township on the map, 1902 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Plain Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Plain Township on the 1902 USGS mapPlain Township on the 1955 USGS mapPlain Township on the 1966 USGS mapPlain Township on the 1973 USGS mapPlain Township on the 1982 USGS map1902Westerville 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 Plain Township.

The story so far

Plain Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Plain Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Plain Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 12,761.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,829 to 12,761 (+30%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Plain Township, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Strait House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Strait House — Plain Township, Franklin County, OhioLorenzo Taylor House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Lorenzo Taylor House — Plain Township, Franklin Count…Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, O…Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, O…Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Levi Dague House — Plain Township, Franklin County, O…George Triplett House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018George Triplett House — Plain Township, Franklin Coun…Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin Coun…Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin Coun…Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin County, Ohio2018Archibald Smith House — Plain Township, Franklin Coun…Plain Township Townhall 12017Plain Township Townhall 1Schott Road farmstead and sprawl2016Schott Road farmstead and sprawlMap of Franklin County Ohio Highlighting Plain Township2015Map of Franklin County Ohio Highlighting Plain Townsh…Map
On the National Register

1 historic place in Plain Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Columbus181 historic placesANew Albany1 historic placeB−Blendon Township1 historic placeB−Harlem Township1 historic placeA−Jersey Township1 historic placeB

Questions about Plain Township’s history

How does Plain Township rank for history?

Plain Township is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #858 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.

How old are the homes in Plain Township?

3% of Plain Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 2003.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.