On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Richland Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Richland 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 Richland Township’s 5.3 sits near the middle of its state (65% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points).
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 Richland 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
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
New Gottingen
1843–1855
Gibson's Station
1855–1882
Gibson
1882–1957
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BlacktopChestnut Grove Cottage AreaDuch AdditionEast Shore Cottage AreaEcho PointGibsonGreenwoodHickory Grove Cottage AreaNew GottingenSeneca Lake EstatesWest Shore Cottage Area
Gone or out of use
Beech Point SchoolschoolBennet SchoolschoolConcord SchoolschoolFairview SchoolschoolGibson Post Officepost officeLiberty Schoolschool
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Richland Township
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Richland Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Summerfield 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 Richland Township.
The story so far
Richland Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Richland Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Richland Township is one of the nineteen townships of Guernsey County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,066.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,082 in 2010, 2,066 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Richland Township, 1843 to 1957
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Richland Township is more historic than 66% 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 Richland Township?
One place: the Ebenezer Finley House (listed 1986).
How old are the homes in Richland Township?
16% of Richland Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1976.
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 National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.