Richland Township, Steuben County, Indiana

Richland Township
Township

Location in Steuben County
Coordinates: 41°34′15″N 84°49′55″W / 41.57083°N 84.83194°W / 41.57083; -84.83194Coordinates: 41°34′15″N 84°49′55″W / 41.57083°N 84.83194°W / 41.57083; -84.83194
Country United States
State Indiana
County Steuben
Government
 • Type Indiana township
Area
 • Total 15.58 sq mi (40.4 km2)
 • Land 15.58 sq mi (40.4 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation 925 ft (282 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 570
 • Density 36.6/sq mi (14.1/km2)
GNIS feature ID 453800

Richland Township is one of twelve townships in Steuben County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 570 and it contained 187 housing units,[1] making it the smallest township in the county.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 15.58 square miles (40.4 km2), all land,[1] second smallest after Clear Lake township.

Unincorporated towns

Cemeteries

The township contains five cemeteries: Alvarado, Amish, Metz, Mount Pleasant, and Bethel.[2]

One of the first cemeteries in the area, Bethel Cemetery has graves dating from the late 1840s. Bethel cemetery was associated with the now-disbanded Bethel United Brethren church, the building of which was "sold and moved away".[3]

Major highways

History

This old brick house stands on the southwest corner of present-day Alvarado.

The first land registration was made by John Douglas on October 11, 1835 but Robert Jackman and family were the first to settle in the township, in 1836.[3] The 1840 census shows only 16 families, including those of Douglas and Jackman.[4]

Much of this early community was centered on what came to be the village of Richland Center, where a log cabin schoolhouse as well as a Methodist church were built in 1850.[5] When this village, which was never incorporated, organized a U. S. post office, there was already an Indiana post office named "Richland Center", so this post office was named "Alvardo", which eventually became the name for the village.[6] Like the rest of Richland township, Alvarado slowly lost population during the 20th century and, in the 21st century, is a small collection of dwellings, farm buildings, and the Alvarado United Methodist Church.

Notable native

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Retrieved 2013-05-10.
  2. ↑ "Steuben County Cemeteries"
  3. 1 2 Imhof, p. 83.
  4. ↑ 1840 U.S. Census.
  5. ↑ Kelly (log cabin schoolhouse), and Imhof, p. 83.
  6. ↑ Alvarado United Methodist Church, which says: "How the name Alvarado originated or came about is not known."
  7. ↑ See 1920 Federal Census, Richland Township, Steuben County, Indiana, page 5B, Enumeration District 161; and; Theory and Practice of Communism in 1972 (Southeast Asia), Part I. Hearings of the House Committee on Internal Security, May 25, 1972, on northeastern Laos. pp. 1-4, 7761-7817. Testimony of Edgar M. Buell.
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   Richland Township  
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