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History · Mount Vernon Township

46% of Mount Vernon Township’s homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 6 buildings. Below: maps from 1899 on and the census since 1890.

1on the National Register
46%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Mount Vernon 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 Mount Vernon Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 661 in 1920; 461 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Mount Vernon Township’s homes were built before 1942.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mount Vernon Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mount Vernon 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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People over time

Mount Vernon Township, census by census

01002003004005006007001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 661

Peaked at 661 in 1920; 461 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

The story so far

Mount Vernon Township, in brief

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

Mount Vernon is a city in Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 461 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Mitchell, South Dakota Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town takes its name from Mount Vernon, the estate of George Washington; an early variant name was Arlandtown.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 189 to 179 (-5%).

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

By decade

Mount Vernon Township, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-MountVernon2004SDMap-doton-MountVernon
On the map

Mount Vernon Township on the map, 1899 to 1980

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

Mount Vernon Township on the 1899 USGS mapMount Vernon Township on the 1980 USGS map1899Mitchell 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 Mount Vernon Township.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 6 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
6
each building in a district counts
first listed
2010
Henline, Ellis and Roberta Farmstead
Henline, Ellis and Roberta Farmstead
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Craftsman/Bungalow1
Midwestern Three-Portal Barn1
All 1 listings
Henline, Ellis and Roberta FarmsteadDistrict · listed 2010

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hopper TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUnion Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBeulah Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDudley TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlendon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mount Vernon Township’s history

What is on the National Register in Mount Vernon Township?

One place: the Henline, Ellis and Roberta Farmstead (listed 2010).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.