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History · Milltown Township

Milltown Township’s post office opened in 1872, and 61% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Milltown Hutterite Colony and the United Brethren Church in Christ. Below: maps from 1898 on and the census since 2000.

1872first post office
2on the National Register
61%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Milltown Township began

When was Milltown Township founded?

1872

The Milltown Township post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Milltown (1872), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 8 in 20002020 census: 104154 years
Founding year: the first Milltown Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Milltown 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 Milltown Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18983 editions of the USGS map, 1898 to 1985. Watch Milltown Township change.Old housesHalf of Milltown Township’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Milltown Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Milltown 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

Milltown Township on the map, 1898 to 1985

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

Milltown Township on the 1898 USGS mapMilltown Township on the 1957 USGS mapMilltown Township on the 1985 USGS map1898Olivet sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Milltown Township.

The story so far

Milltown Township, in brief

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

Milltown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 8 at the 2020 census. Milltown was so named for the fact many of its early residents milled their supply of flour.

Its first post office opened in 1872. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 115 to 104 (-10%).

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

Timeline

Milltown Township, 1872 to 1953

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1872Post officeThe Milltown post office opens
  3. 1898On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 20th century
  5. 1916BuiltMilltown Hutterite Colony is built
  6. 1953Post officeThe Milltown post office closes
By decade

Milltown Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-Milltown2004SDMap-doton-Milltown
On the National Register

2 historic places in Milltown Township

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
9
each building in a district counts
first listed
1982
Milltown Hutterite Colony
Milltown Hutterite Colony, built 1916United Brethren Church in Christ
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Vernacular1
All 2 listings
Milltown Hutterite ColonyBuilding · listed 1982United Brethren Church in ChristBuilding · listed 2007

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

People over time

Milltown Township, census by census

020002020Peak: 10

Between 8 and 10 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Milltown Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Another post office, Milltown, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Milltown
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Milltown Township
Drei CreekKulm

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Foster Township2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMilltown1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLiberty TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSharon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWittenberg Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Milltown Township’s history

What year was Milltown Township founded?

The Milltown Township post office opened in 1872, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Milltown Township?

Two places: the Milltown Hutterite Colony (listed 1982) and the United Brethren Church in Christ (2007).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.