Madison Township is one of six

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Tipton County,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,286 (down from 1,396 at 2010) and it contained 571 housing units.

History

Non-Indigenous people began settling in Madison Township around 1830, when it was still a part of Hamilton County and northern parts of the future township were Indian land. Settlers moved to the southern part of the future township first. The first Christian religious services were held in the township in 1839 as a

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself nationally. In 1939, th ...

congregation meeting which was held at a school house.Pershing, p. 200
/ref> Tipton County commissioners ordered Madison Township to be created in June 1844.Pershing, p. 76

Geography

The township was originally 36-square miles in size. In September 1846, a half mile strip of the western part of the township was given to Cicero Township and a portion of the northern area was made into Wildcat Township. This left Madison Township at 44-square miles in size. According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of , all land.

Topography

The main waterway that flows through the township is Duck Creek, a stream that flows through the eastern part of the township. It is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of Pollywog Creek. Bear Creek's eastern fork flows through the southern part of the township. The land is flat except near the southeastern corner, where Duck Creek causes some unevenness in the topography.

Flora

Historically, the township was covered with a dense forest.

Walnut tree Walnut trees are any species of tree in the plant genus ''Juglans'', the type genus of the family (biology), family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, tall, with pinnate leaves , with ...

s, Poplar,

Oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

, Ash,

Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus ''Ulmus'' in the family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical- montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ...

Maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

Beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

, and

Sycamore Sycamore is a name which has been applied to several types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms. The name derives from the Ancient Greek () meaning . Species of otherwise unrelated trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplatanus'', a ...

were commonly found. Smaller numbers of Buckeye, Spicebush and

Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

were found, too. Small prairies and

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s were scattered throughout the area.Pershing, p. 77

Cities, towns, villages

* Elwood (west edge)

Unincorporated towns

* Curtisville at *

Hobbs Hobbs may refer to: Surname * Hobbs (surname) Fictional * Russel Hobbs of the virtual band Gorillaz * Luke Hobbs, a character from ''The Fast and the Furious'' film series * Lynne Hobbs, a character from ''EastEnders'' * Garry Hobbs, a chara ...

at * New Lancaster at (This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)

Adjacent townships

* Wildcat Township (north) * Duck Creek Township, Madison County (northeast) * Pipe Creek Township, Madison County (east) * White River Township, Hamilton County (south) * Cicero Township (west)

Economy

19th century

Early industry in the township comprised

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, which was exported to

Lawrenceburg, Indiana Lawrenceburg is a city and the county seat of Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,129 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the largest city in Dearborn County. Lawrenceburg is in southeast Indiana, on th ...

, where better prices were being given for wheat than in northern Indiana. Mills were located in Hamilton County, and Madison Township wheat was used to make

flour Flour is a powder made by Mill (grinding), grinding raw grains, List of root vegetables, roots, beans, Nut (fruit), nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredie ...

and corn-crackers. Native peoples in the area traded

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

skins,

venison Venison refers primarily to the meat of deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, including the internal organs. Venison, much like beef or pork, is categorized into spe ...

, bead work and other items for gunpowder, food and clothing. In 1848, the first

mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

was built in the township. It was owned by Gilbert Wright and sourced power from Duck Creek's west fork. Many of the first homes in the township used lumber from the mill. A second mill, operated with

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

, was built in 1868, by B.F. Marshall, in Curtisville.Pershing, p. 79

20th century

By 1914, the township economy was primarily

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

based.Pershing, p. 80

Education

Early history

The first school in the township was started in 1840, in a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

. Cole Birch was the first teacher. He was described as the "handy man of the neighborhood," and not a trained teacher. Birch helped residents with their health problems, built houses, played violin at parties, and was known for being able to "kill more deer, market more coon skins, tell more yarns, sing louder at a camp meeting and stand up under more vile whisky than any other man in the entire county."Pershing, p. 187 The first frame school in the township was built in New Lancaster. It replaced a log cabin school. It was used until the early 20th century. The first public school in the township was introduced in 1854.Pershing, p. 188

Today

Students in Madison Township attend schools in the Tipton Community School Corporation.

Government

Indiana's 5th congressional district Indiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana comprising Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton, Madison County, Indiana, Madison, Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware, Grant County, Indiana, Grant, and ...

* State House District 35 * State Senate District 20

Infrastructure

In the early 20th century, the Lake Erie & Western Railroad and a branch of the Indiana Union Traction Company traveled east to west through the township.

Major highways

Indiana State Road 28 State Road 28 is an east–west road in central Indiana in the United States that crosses the entire state from east to west, covering a distance of about and passing about to the north of the state capital of Indianapolis. Route descript ...

Indiana State Road 37 State Road 37 (SR 37) is a major route in the U.S. state of Indiana, running as a four-lane divided highway for a majority of its course in Southern and Central Indiana. At one time, the route ran from the southwest corner of the state t ...

Airports and landing strips

* Ellison Airport

Cemeteries

The township contains these three cemeteries: Cook, Hobbs and Mount Pleasant.

References

Sources

* Pershing, Marvin W. "History of Tipton County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions". Indianapolis: B.F. Bowen (1914).
United States Census Bureau 2008 TIGER/Line Shapefiles

United States Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)

IndianaMap

Footnotes

External links

Indiana Township Association

United Township Association of Indiana
{{authority control Townships in Tipton County, Indiana Kokomo, Indiana metropolitan area Townships in Indiana