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AHistory
History · Washington Township

31% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: maps from 1911 on.

1on the National Register
31%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
Quick answers

About Washington Township’s history

How historic is Washington Township?

A

More historic than 92% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Washington Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Washington Township is more historic than 92% 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.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Washington Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194031.4% of homes (±4.4) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register1 listing, 3 historic buildings, 15.2 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 92%
NewerOlder

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 Washington Township’s 15.2 sits above most of its state (79% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±4.4 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 Washington 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 Washington Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19114 editions of the USGS map, 1911 to 1973. Watch Washington Township change.Old housesHalf of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1959.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washington Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Washington Township on the map, 1911 to 1973

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

Washington Township on the 1911 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1944 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1960 USGS mapWashington Township on the 1973 USGS map1911Spencerville 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 Washington Township.

The story so far

Washington Township, in brief

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

Washington Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 1,944 people in the township. It is the birthplace of the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,874 to 1,944 (+4%).

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

By decade

Washington Township, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Olive Branch UMC, Washington Township2015Olive Branch UMC, Washington TownshipMoulton-New Knoxville Road soybean fields2015Moulton-New Knoxville Road soybean fieldsMap of Auglaize County Ohio Highlighting Washington Township2015Map of Auglaize County Ohio Highlighting Washington T…MapWashington Auglaize2006Washington Auglaize
On the National Register

1 historic place in Washington Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Washington Township

Nobody well known was born in Washington Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
D
Dudley NicholsAmerican screenwriter · b. 1895
William K. HowardAmerican film director · b. 1893
John Joseph EnnekingAmerican artist · b. 1841
E
Evan EschmeyerAmerican basketball player · b. 1975
Charles Anthony MooneyAmerican politician · b. 1879
Jared HoyingAmerican professional baseball outfielder · b. 1989
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Bay
Gone or out of use
Hoelscher SchoolschoolPhyle SchoolschoolSchool Number 2schoolSchool Number 4schoolSchool Number 7schoolStroh SchoolschoolWalnut Grove Schoolschool
7cemeteries and burying grounds inside Washington Township
ArnettBurkHittepoleOlive BranchPilger RuheProtestant EvangelicalWisely

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Pusheta Township1 historic placeA−St. Marys Township3 historic placesAMoulton Township1 historic placeB−Van Buren Township1 historic placeA−

Questions about Washington Township’s history

How does Washington Township rank for history?

Washington Township is more historic than 92% 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.

How old are the homes in Washington Township?

31% of Washington Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1959.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 (4), 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.