History · Decker Township · established 1869

Decker Township’s history is mostly unwritten

The public archives hold just one old photo of Decker Township. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1869founded

1old photo or paper

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From Decker Township’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Decker Township began

When was Decker Township founded?

1869

It was founded in 1869 by Isaac Decker.

Today: 209 (2020)157 years

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

What stands out about Decker Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Decker Township, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Decker Township’s homes were built before 1938.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Decker Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Decker Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2 Retake an old viewPhotos of: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Orrville

1895–1904

Littlerock

1901–1903

18901960today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Little RockOrrvilleSisson

5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Decker Township

DickOrrvilleScott ChapelStuartWarth

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Decker Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Decker Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Decker is a town in Johnson Township, Knox County, Indiana, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1869 by Isaac Decker. Decker is near the White River, and is well known for the watermelon and cantaloupe produced in the surrounding rural area.

Decker Township was established in 1869. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 227 to 209 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Decker Township, 1869 to 1904

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1869
FoundingDecker Township is established
1895Post officeThe Orrville post office opens
20th century
1901Post officeThe Littlerock post office opens
1903Post officeThe Littlerock post office closes
1904Post officeThe Orrville post office closes

By decade

Decker Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date

Date?Photos of

Today2 recent

2024Decker community center

2016Decker, Indiana

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewPhotos of

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Decker Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15

Famous people

Famous people close to Decker Township

Nobody well known was born in Decker Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →

Red SkeltonAmerican comedian · b. 1913

Robert RidgwayAmerican ornithologist · b. 1850

Jackie YoungAmerican basketball player · b. 1997

Alice TerryAmerican actress · b. 1899

Buck JonesAmerican actor · b. 1890

Valeska SurattAmerican actress · b. 1882

Stories next door

History across the town line

White River TownshipIts story Vincennes Township3 historic places Johnson TownshipIts story DeckerIts story

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Weigh in

Has Decker Township changed for the better?

Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.

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From Wikimedia Commons (3), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.