The Watertown Township post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Watertown (1826) and Churchtown (1875), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,541200 years
How historic is Watertown Township?
A
More historic than 94% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Watertown Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Watertown Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Watertown Township is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Watertown 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 Watertown Township’s 596 sits above most of its state (99% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 73 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±14.7 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 Watertown Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A post office called Watertown was established in 1826, and remained in operation until 1993. The first postmaster also was the town's first merchant when he opened a store in 1828.
In 1986, the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as a historic district, the "Watertown Historic District." Seventy-five buildings compose the district: three are built of brick, and the rest are white weatherboarded structures. Most of the contributing properties were built after the Civil War and before World War I. The importance of the district is derived from the architecture of most of its houses, largely because local carpenters made extensive use of Stick-Eastlake ornamental elements in their designs.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Watertown Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Parkersburg 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 Watertown Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Watertown Township
Nobody well known was born in Watertown Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Watertown Township post office opened in 1826, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Watertown Township rank for history?
Watertown Township is more historic than 94% 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 Watertown Township?
Three places: the Harra Covered Bridge (listed 1976), the Col. Simeon Deming House (1980) and the Watertown Historic District (1986).
How old are the homes in Watertown Township?
25% of Watertown Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±14.7 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1995.
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 (3), Wikipedia, 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.
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