Madison Township is one of six

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, Ca ...

in Tipton County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 1,396 and it contained 596 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 on a national basis. In ...

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 affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or 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 drain the surrounding drainage ...

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 Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are referred to as walnuts. All species are deciduous trees, tall, with pinnate leaves , with 5–25 leaflets; t ...

s, Poplar,

Oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

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

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

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

, 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 ' (''sūkomoros'') meaning "fig-mulberry". Species of trees known as sycamore: * ''Acer pseudoplata ...

were commonly found. Smaller numbers of Buckeye,

Spicebush Dried fruits of ''Lindera neesiana'' used as spice (coll. MHNT) ''Lindera'' is a genus of about 80–100Willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

were found, too. Small prairies and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

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

Cities, towns, villages

* Elwood (west edge)

Unincorporated towns

* Curtisville at * Hobbs 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 grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, which was exported to

Lawrenceburg, Indiana Lawrenceburg is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat and largest city of Dearborn County. Lawrenceburg is in southeast Indiana, on the Ohio River west of Cinci ...

, 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 grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

and corn-crackers. Native peoples in the area traded

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

skins,

venison Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, ...

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

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

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 a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

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

20th century

By 1914, the township economy was primarily

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

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 less 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 settlers. Eur ...

. 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 that takes the north side of Indianapolis as well as its eastern and northern suburbs, including Marion, Carmel, Anderson, Noblesville, Fishers, ...

* 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 capitol of Indianapolis. Route descriptio ...

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 110 miles of its course. At one time, the route ran from the southwest corner of the state to the northeast corner. In the pre- ...

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