The story so far
Thorp Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Thorp Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 46 to 36 (-22%).
–Not graded
History · Thorp Township
38% of Thorp Township’s homes were built before 1940
Its Register listing is the Bradley First Lutheran Church. Below: maps from 1973 on.
1on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
What stands out about Thorp Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Thorp Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Thorp Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the map
Thorp Township on the map, 1973 to 1985
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Thorp Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1973Bradley 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 Thorp Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Thorp Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2000
Bradley First Lutheran Church
Buildings
Architectural styles listings
Gothic Revival1
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.
Cottonwood TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMaydell TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWoodland TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMount Pleasant TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Thorp Township’s history
What is on the National Register in Thorp Township?
One place: the Bradley First Lutheran Church (listed 2000).
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.