The story
Read it all →How Bryant Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Bryant Township.
Bryant was laid out in 1887, and named for an agent of the town company.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Bryant Township
Bryant Township dates to 1887
Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1890.
1887founded
0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Bryant Township began
When was Bryant Township founded?
1887
Bryant Township dates its founding to 1887 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.
First census: 172 in 18902020 census: 18139 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
What stands out about Bryant 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 Bryant Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 658 in 1940; 471 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bryant Township, and 1 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Bryant Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bryant Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.People over time
Bryant Township, census by census
Peaked at 658 in 1940; 471 people lived here in 2020.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bryant Township’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Harrington
Burkmere
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Burkmere
Gone or out of use
Harringtonlocale
1cemetery inside Bryant Township
Bass
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Timeline
Bryant Township, 1883 to 1952
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
- 19th century
- 1883Post officeThe Harrington post office opens
- 1887FoundingBryant Township is established
- 1889Post officeThe Harrington post office closes
- 1889Post officeThe Burkmere post office opens
- 20th century
- 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 658
- 1951Post officeThe Burkmere post office closes
- 1952
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade
Bryant Township, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2004On the map
Bryant Township on the map, 1952 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bryant Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1952Burkmere sheet · 1:24,000U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bryant Township.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Bryant Township’s history
What year was Bryant Township founded?
In 1887, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bryant Township’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 172 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.