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History · Rutherford

Rutherford’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Rutherford. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
13recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Rutherford Township is one of six townships in Martin County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 675 and it contained 316 housing units.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 760 to 675 (-11%). Half of its homes were built before 1993.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rutherford yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Rutherford’s collection

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

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Rutherford

See all 24 →
Larry BirdLarry BirdWest Baden Springs · 15 miMike BraunMike BraunJasper · 12 miBrad EllsworthBrad EllsworthJasper · 12 miFrank W. MilburnFrank W. MilburnJasper · 12 miCharles Hall DillonCharles Hall DillonJasper · 12 miDBDaniel M. BuechleinJasper · 12 mi
By decade

Rutherford, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today13 photos
Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USACommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (9)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (9)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (8)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (8)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (7)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (7)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (6)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (6)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (5)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (5)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (4)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (4)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (3)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (3)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (2)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (2)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (11)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (11)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (10)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (10)2013Rutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (1)CommonsRutherford Township, IN 47553, USA - panoramio (1)2013MartinCommonsMartin2013
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Rutherford is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Rutherford has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Union Church and Cemetery, Old in Reeve, 4.1 miles away.

Rutherford and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Rutherford. Tap a dot.
Union Church and Cemetery, OldEvangelische Lutherische Emanuels KircheLoogootee Commercial Historic DistrictShoals Historic DistrictMartin County CourthouseLemmon's Church and Cemetery

Closest to Rutherford

Union Church and Cemetery, OldReeve · Building4.1miEvangelische Lutherische Emanuels KircheHarbison · District7.5miLoogootee Commercial Historic DistrictLoogootee · District8miShoals Historic DistrictShoals · District8.5miMartin County CourthouseShoals · Building8.6mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Union Church and Cemetery, Old’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Rutherford?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Rutherford’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Alfordsville📜 Reeve📜 Harbison📜 Lost River

From Wikimedia Commons (13). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Rutherford, INMartin CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01
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