Buckingham Township is one of the twenty-one

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

Tama County Tama County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,135. Its county seat is Toledo. The county was formed on February 17, 1843 and named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki Indians. Geog ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

History

The first European-American to permanently settle in what is now Buckingham Township was Norman L. Osborn, who came in January, 1852, and claimed the southeast quarter of section 26. In 1852 the County Judge of Benton County, Iowa, issued an order for the organization of Tama County into townships. On the first Monday of August, 1852, Judge John C. Vermilya recited the first public record of Tama County, creating the three townships. An informal meeting was held to give names to the townships. The men at the meeting failed to agree on a name, so Miss Margaret Connell named the township "Buckingham", in honor of Governor William A. Buckingham of Norwich, Connecticut.

Geography

The geography of the township is low rolling hills and farmland. The primary farmed crops are corn and soybeans. Twelve-Mile Creek runs west to east through the southern portion of the township. Rock Creek runs south from Black Hawk County through the township, joining Twelve-Mile Creek in Section 23.

Towns and Villages

The original village of Buckingham was established in the southwest corner of Section 33 in 1855, about 1 mile northwest of the present town of Traer. It flourished in that location until about 1873, when most of the businesses began to move to Traer. This townsite is now largely abandoned, with just a few houses remaining. It is still occasionally called "Old Buckingham" locally and that designation shows on at least one historical map. A new village of Buckingham was established sometime between 1897 and 1909 in section 14 on Rock Creek. It is unincorporated but still exists with an estimated population of about 30 and a large operating grain elevator.

Other Notable Features

A round barn listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

is in the southeast corner of section 3. Buckingham Cemetery is the primary cemetery used by the town of Traer, but is actually located in Perry Township at , just south of the abandoned village of Old Buckingham.

References

{{authority control Townships in Tama County, Iowa Townships in Iowa