Forest Township, Clinton County, Indiana

Forest Township
Township

Snow-covered corn fields in Forest Township

Location of Forest Township in Clinton County
Coordinates: 40°22′16″N 86°18′51″W / 40.37111°N 86.31417°W / 40.37111; -86.31417Coordinates: 40°22′16″N 86°18′51″W / 40.37111°N 86.31417°W / 40.37111; -86.31417
Country United States
State Indiana
County Clinton
Organized 1882
Government
 • Type Indiana township
Area
 • Total 26.45 sq mi (68.5 km2)
 • Land 26.43 sq mi (68.5 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation[1] 879 ft (268 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 760
 • Density 28.8/sq mi (11.1/km2)
FIPS code 18-23944[2]
GNIS feature ID 453299

Forest Township is one of fourteen townships in Clinton County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 760 and it contained 328 housing units.[3] The township was named for the large amount of timber it contained at the time it was organized.[4]

History

After the completion of the "Clover Leaf" railroad through the area in 1874 and the establishment of the town of Forest along it, residents petitioned the county commissioners to create a new township for their area out of the existing Johnson and Warren townships. On January 2, 1882, the petition was granted and the township organized with Samuel M. Davis as the first trustee.

The first permanent white settlers in the township were Page and Sarah Sims who arrived in 1839 and resided in the township until their death. The arrival of pioneers here was somewhat later than in other parts of the county since Forest was originally within the Big Miami Reserve and off limits to white settlement until 1838. The population grew slowly and remained sparse and scattered for some years. The first church in the township was the Methodist Swamp Creek chapel built in 1850 near the southern border, and later replaced by St. Paul's church. A post office was established in 1860 in the hamlet of Martinsville, with Martin Davis as the first postmaster.[5]

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 26.45 square miles (68.5 km2), of which 26.43 square miles (68.5 km2) (or 99.92%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.026 km2) (or 0.04%) is water.[3]

Unincorporated towns

Adjacent townships

Major highways

Cemeteries

The township contains two cemeteries: Saint Paul and Union.

References

  1. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. 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.
  4. ↑ Claybaugh, Joseph (1913). History of Clinton County, Indiana. Indianapolis: A. W. Bowen & Company. p. 32.
  5. ↑ Claybaugh, Joseph (1913). "Forest Township". History of Clinton County, Indiana. Indianapolis: A. W. Bowen & Company.

External links

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