York Township, Steuben County, Indiana

York Township is one of twelve townships in Steuben County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 733 and it contained 291 housing units.[2] York Township has the distinction of being Indiana's lone township to border both Michigan and Ohio as well as bordering two states on land as all other tri-points along Indiana's border are underwater.

York Township
Township
The brass disc officially marking Indiana's border with Michigan and Ohio
The brass disc officially marking Indiana's border with Michigan and Ohio
Location in Steuben County
Location in Steuben County
Coordinates: 41°39′28″N 84°50′37″W
CountryUnited States
StateIndiana
CountySteuben
Government
 • TypeIndiana township
Area
 • Total22.19 sq mi (57.5 km2)
 • Land22.19 sq mi (57.5 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation
[1]
984 ft (300 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total733
 • Density33/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code260
GNIS feature ID454070

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the township has a total area of 22.19 square miles (57.5 km2), all land.[2] The streams of Hanselman Branch and West Branch Fish Creek run through this township.

Unincorporated towns

(This list is based on USGS data and may include former settlements.)

Cemeteries

The township contains three cemeteries: Dygert, York, and Powers.[3]

Major highways

History
The Powers Church was built in 1876 on land donated by the Powers family. Restored in the 1970s, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Monthly non-denominational services are held in the summer.

In the decades before it was settled by white immigrants, York Township and the surrounding area were the domain of the Potawatomi Indians.

The first recorded white settler in York Township was Fayette Barron, who built a homestead at what would become Metz in 1836. The following year saw the arrival of the Powers families, who settled in the northwest sections of the township. Two Powers brothers had scouted the area the year before, and now brought six families on a long journey from New York state.[4]

In 1879, the Powers families and neighbors built what is now known as the Powers Church.[4] The land for a nondenominational church (hence its other name "Free Church") had been donated in 1839 by Clark Powers, head of one of the original Powers families. The last regular services were held at the church in the 1920s.[5] The church was restored in 1976 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

The unincorporated village of Metz enjoyed its heyday during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At one point or another it boasted a sawmill, a hotel, physicians, an undertaker, and several of the more typical retail shops.[6] In 1919, the York township schools were consolidated with those of Richland Township into the Metz school. This school, with students from kindergarten through high school, operated for 40 years, until it was closed in 1959, a victim of declining enrollment.[6]

Education

York Township residents may obtain a free library card from the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County.[7]

References
  • Anspaugh, Colleen (1997) "Old towns", Steuben Herald-Republican, Angola, Indiana, p. A3.
  • Folck, Dorsey (1956) "York Township", Harvey Morley, editor, The 1955 History, Complete County Atlas, pictorial and Biographical Album of Steuben County, Indiana, Angola, Indiana, pp. 46–47.
  • "Steuben County Cemeteries", Steuben County, Indiana, INGenWeb Site, accessed August 12, 2008.
  • Taylor, Robert M.; Stevens, Errol Wayne; Ponder, Mary Ann (1990) Indiana: A New Historical Guide, Indiana Historical Society, ISBN 978-0-87195-048-2.
  • U.S. Board on Geographic Names (GNIS)
  • United States Census Bureau cartographic boundary files
  1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  2. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place -- 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  3. "Steuben County Cemeteries"
  4. Folck, p. 46.
  5. Taylor et al., p. 24.
  6. Anspaugh.
  7. "Getting a library card". Carnegie Public Library of Steuben Co. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
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