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History · Smith

Smith’s history is
mostly unwritten

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

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Smith Township is one of nine townships in Whitley County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 5,234 (down from 5,327 at 2010) and it contained 2,319 housing units.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 5,327 people in 2010, 5,234 in 2020. Half of its homes were built before 1975.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Smith 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 Smith’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Smith’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 Smith

See all 18 →
Jim BanksJim BanksColumbia City · 7 miEarl ButzEarl ButzAlbion · 13 miHarry GandyHarry GandyChurubusco · 2 miE. Ross AdairE. Ross AdairAlbion · 13 miRalph F. GatesRalph F. GatesColumbia City · 7 miChick StahlChick StahlAvilla · 12 mi
By decade

Smith, 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
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Smith is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Smith has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Blue Bell Inc., Factory Building in Columbia City, 7.7 miles away.

Smith and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Smith. Tap a dot.
Blue Bell Inc., Factory BuildingThomas R. Marshall HouseWhitley County CourthouseColumbia City Historic DistrictStanley School-District No. 2Luckey Hospital

Closest to Smith

Blue Bell Inc., Factory BuildingColumbia City · Building7.7miThomas R. Marshall HouseColumbia City · Building7.7miWhitley County CourthouseColumbia City · Building7.8miColumbia City Historic DistrictColumbia City · District7.8miStanley School-District No. 2Green · Building8.4mi

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. Blue Bell Inc., Factory Building’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Smith?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Smith’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
📜 Churubusco📜 Eel River📜 Thorncreek📜 Green
We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Smith, INWhitley 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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