Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 10 buildings between them. Below: old-book passages.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wayne Township’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Wayne Township.
Wayne was originally called Freeport, and under the latter name was platted in 1836. Another early variant name was Prairie Depot. The present name honors Anthony Wayne. The village was incorporated in 1836. A post office called Prairie Depot was established in 1852, and the name was changed to Wayne in 1927.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Wayne Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Since the high school students from Wayne Township had been attending Circleville High School since 1938, the Wayne Township School board at this meeting also objected to being a part of the Westfall School District. The Wayne Township board requested to transfer the district to Circleville City Schools. The county board denied this request as well stating that the students would best be served in the new Westfall School District.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In the village of Westfall, the Hoffman Warehouse was the primary early business. There canal boats were loaded with corn and wheat grown in the fertile fields of Wayne Township. The canal left the county at the village of Yellowbud in Ross County. The canal is long gone from the scene. The railroads are dying out, losing their freighting business to paved highways and huge tractor-trailer trucks as well as to the airlines.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Three places: the Horsey-Barthelmas Farm (listed 1980), the Fleming-Hoffman Farm (2022) and the Ohio & Erie Canal Southern Descent Historic District (2022).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2016
2016
2016
2016
2015
2004