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Milan Township, Allen County, Indiana

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Milan Township
Township
Location in Allen County, Indiana
Location in Allen County, Indiana
Country United States
State Indiana
CountyAllen
Government
 • TypeIndiana township
Area
 • Total
37.49 sq mi (97.09 km2)
 • Land37.18 sq mi (96.29 km2)
 • Water0.31 sq mi (0.80 km2)  0.83%
Elevation
758 ft (231 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
3,749
 • Density101/sq mi (38.9/km2)
ZIP codes
46741, 46774, 46797, 46835
GNIS feature ID0453624

Milan Township is one of twenty townships in Allen County, Indiana, United States. Milan Township is located in east central Allen County, with the Maumee River meandering across the township. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,749.[1] The township is highly rural, with only 1,137 houses in the 2010 census.[1]> Many of the residents of Milan Township are Amish.

Overview

Milan township is generally demarcated by Schwartz Road to the west, Notestine Road to the north, Sampson Road to the east, and Gar Creek Road to the south.

The principal town in Milan Township is Milan Center, at 41°8'39"N 84°56'46"W. Milan Center lies at the intersection of Milan Center Road and Doty Road, and at an earlier time consisted of Brueggeman's (a combination lumberyard, hardware and grocery store), a small wood-frame church, Milan Center School, a feed mill, and four houses.

In the mid-20th century, telephone communication across relatively short distances could be prohibitively expensive. Northern Milan township had traditionally been served by the Harlan telephone exchange, and southern Milan township by the New Haven telephone exchange. To make a call between differing exchanges, one could incur so-called "long distance" surcharges. Brueggeman's store at Milan Center served as a progressive business and community center by having telephones from both exchanges. The New Haven telephone exchange was purchased by the Home Telephone company in Fort Wayne, which was itself subsequently acquired by General Telephone of Indiana. The Harlan telephone company was also eventually acquired by General Telephone of Indiana. General Telephone is now a part of Verizon.

Brueggeman's Do-It-Best Center subsequently left to build a new store several miles removed to take advantage of traffic on State Highway 37 (at Ricker Road). The original Milan Center structure subsequently was lost to fire, and the relocated Brueggeman's closed April 12, 2014 after 100 years of business.

The Milan Township and Maumee Township (city of Woodburn) school districts cooperatively built and dedicated Woodlan High School for the 1959-1960 school year. Located in Milan Township, the school lies just east of Five Points on the Woodburn Road. Harlan High students began attending circa 1965, as the schools had been consolidated into the East Allen County School district a year earlier. Junior high and elementary schools are also now located on the campus.

Five Points is a settlement located at the junction of Old US Highway 24, Webster Road, and Woodburn Road, along the old Wabash-Erie Canal route. At one time it consisted of a small diner for truckers, a gas station (later a bicycle shop), a tile mill, and a few homes. A newer water tower labeled "Woodlan" near Woodlan School may result in the community being known as "Woodlan" in the coming years.

Gar Creek was once a shipping point on the Wabash and Toledo Railroad. A small community of 500 people eventually settled around the station. The 1882-1883 Indiana State Gazetteer and Business Directory published by R.L. Polk & Company, stated that lumber and grain were the primary exports of the station. Gar Creek enterprises listed at that time included a shingle manufacturer, two carpenters, a Justice of the Peace, a saw mill, a general store with a railway agent and a Postmaster (Jesse Rothgeb), a blacksmith, a hoop manufacturer, and United Brethren and Lutheran churches. The population at that time was listed as 130.

Thurman was a settlement located on the Detroit branch of the old Wabash Railroad. A few homes and businesses remain to this day.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Milan Township covers an area of 37.49 square miles (97.09 km2); of this, 37.18 square miles (96.29 km2) is land and 0.31 square miles (0.80 km2), or 0.83%, is water.[1]

Unincorporated towns

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

Adjacent townships

Cemeteries

  • Amish Cemetery, located at 14702 Doty Road, behind the Amish School, about a half mile west of Milan Center.
  • Barnett Chapel Cemetery, located on the northwest corner of State Road 37 (Maysville Turnpike) and Barnett Road. Lutheran. Earliest date 1875.
  • Gar Creek Union Cemetery, located on the Gar Creek Road, 0.3 miles east of the Berthaud Road. Private. Earliest date December 23, 1884.
  • Irving Family Cemetery, located on the south bank of the Maumee River, north of the B.F. Goodrich Tire Plant, on U.S. 24, on Goodrich land. Earliest date 1847.
  • Platter Family Cemetery, located 0.2 miles south of the Platter Bridge on the northeast bank of the Maumee River. One stone: 1852.
  • Saint Paul's Lutheran Cemetery at Gar Creek, located next to the church on Berthaud Road, about 0.2 miles south of Bremer Road. Earliest date 1884.
  • Schwartz Family Cemetery, located on the north side of Irving Road 0.1 mile east of the Bruick Road. Amish. No markers.

This information is from the Allen County INGenWeb Project at http://www.acgsi.org/genweb/cemeteries/milan-township-cemeteries-allen-county-indiana.html retrieved 11/18/2015.

Historically significant churches

  • Milan Evangelical Lutheran Church (Barnett Chapel) and Cemetery at State Road 37 and Barnett Road. Organized in 1864. Merged with St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Harlan (Springfield Township) in 1921. Now part of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (see Springfield Township).
  • St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church-Gar Creek and Cemetery at 1910 N. Berthaud Road. Organized in 1880 by members of Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, New Haven. Birth, baptism, confirmation, marriage and death records exist since 1880. Early records in German. Records have been photocopied and are available at the Allen County Public Library.
  • Milan Center Methodist Protestant Church at the corner of Doty and Milan Center Roads. Organized in 1905/06 when a series of meetings were held in the old Milan Center schoolhouse. Land was donated and construction on the church was begun in 1906. Church disbanded sometime after 1954. Records may be located at the DePauw University Library, Greencastle, IN. The church building has been utilized by various congregations since.
  • The Gar Creek Mennonite Church is also now defunct. In about 1854, Mennonites first settled at Gar Creek, a village 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Among them Michael Rothgeb, Abram and Jacob Bixler, John Federspiel, Hezekiah Rothgeb, and Nancy Lowery. Services were held in Bethel Chapel, a union building. There was no resident minister. Eli Stoffer, a minister in the Hudson (Indiana) congregation, and others conducted occasional services. In 1900 there were 20 members. After the establishing of the Fort Wayne Mission in 1903, the mission workers assumed responsibility for the services at Gar Creek. On 22 October 1905 the building was rededicated for church services. Regular services were discontinued about 1910.[2]

This information is from the Allen County INGenWeb Project at http://www.acgsi.org/genweb/churches/milan-township-churches-of-allen-county-indiana.html retrieved 11-18-2015.

Other historically significant structures

Lengacher-Sapp Farm 17116 Notestine Road Vernacular
Christan Lengacher Farm 10220 Thimlar Road 1910 Foursquare, two gambrel roof barns
Lake-Lengacher Farm 15329 State Road 37 c. 1870 Vernacular Gabled Ell
Swifts-Werts Farm 15039 State Road 37 c. 1880 Italianate house, Gable barn
Harp-Graber Farm 14510 Notestine Road Vernacular Gabled Ell and timber-pegged house
John Graber Farm 10108 Graber Road c. 1890 Vernacular Gabled Ell brick line
John Bertsch Farm 9842 Graber Road c. 1870 Vernacular Gabled Ell log
Peter Graber, Sr House 9905 Graber Road c. 1860 I-house log
Christian Richer Farm 9921 Ricker Road c. 1855 Vernacular log
J. E. Motherwell Farm 9633 Ricker Road c. 1860 Vernacular log
School No 12 (original) 9127 Ricker Road c. 1870 Vernacular
William Fitzgerald, Sr Farm 9127 Ricker Road c. 1870 Timber Frame w/ Greek Revival details
Township School No. 12 30 Ricker Road 1899 Romanesque Revival
Yoder-Ringgenberger-Graber Farm 8917 Graber Road c. 1855 Vernacular
John Graber Farm 8918 Graber Road c. 1910 Vernacular gabled ell timber-pegged barn
Summers-Bottern-Graber Farm 8604 Graber Road Brick-lined house, hand-hewn log barn
Milan Township School No. 1 13903 Maysville Road 1882 Vernacular
Chamberlain Settlement State Road 37 at Bruick Road c. 1850
Henry Kurtz House 14106 State Road 37 East c. 1925 Craftsman bungalow
John Kurtz Farm 14212 State Road 37 East c. 1914 Foursquare
Barnett Chapel Lutheran Cemetery 14441 State Road 37 East 1875
M. Sowers House 14441 State Road 37 East c. 1850 Greek Revival
Joe Miller Farm & Harness Shop 76212 Darling Road c. 1910 Vernacular gabled ell of tile block
Noah Miller Farm 16315 Darling Road c. 1855 Vernacular log house, German four-bay barn
Township School No. 6 17985 Darling Road c. 1880 Other
W. A. Ward House 18928 Ward Road c. 1910 Colonial Revival
A. Devauz Farm 7913 Brush College Road c. 1905 East Lake
Wm. F. Ehle Farm 15729 Ehle Road Rebuilt 1926 House; 1880s Craftsman house, early gabled barn
John Thimlar Farm 15001 Ehle Road c. 1860 Vernacular Log House
George Washington T. Safford Farm 7907 Bruick Road c. 1878 Victorian Gothic
Thoddeus B. Stene Farm 13515 State Road 37 c. 1870 Vernacular Upright and Wing
Daniel D. Miller Farm 12914 State Road 37 c. 1865 Vernacular timber-pegged
Knight-Miller Farm 12810 State Road 37 Vernacular timber-pegged I house
Absolom Stateufer Farm 12610 Doty Road c. 1880 Italianate
David Schwartz Farm 14030 Doty Road c. 1875 Vernacular gabled ell
Milan Township Amish School 14083 Doty Road c. 1950 Vernacular
Wm. A. Spindler Farm 14201 Doty Road c. 1875 Victorian Gothic
George G. Nuttle Farm 14802 Doty Road c. 1875 Vernacular: I House
J. M. Yerkes Farm 15208 Doty Road c. 1890 House estate
Milan Center School Doty Road at Milan Center Road c. 1900 Romanesque Revival
Milan Center Methodist Church NW Corner Milan Center & Doty Road c. 1901
Brueggemann's General Store 15303 Doty Road c. 1924 2-story, 1928 Craftsman
Milan Center Feed Mill 15402 Doty Road c. 1946 other
Theodore Thimlar House 16026 Doty Road c. 1892 Italianate
Milan Township School No. 7 Doty Road at Brush College (NE corner) 1902 Classical Revival
Canal Tavern House 19524 U.S. 24 c. 1850 Vernacular log
Irving Family Cemetery 18907 E. U.S. 24 c. 1847
Fairport Settlement U.S. 24 A/C from Goodrich Uniroyal Plant N-side 1837
Sanford A. Ransom Farm 6034 Milan Center Road c. 1870 Vernacular vertical plank-lined
Christian Schwartz Farm a 14422 Irving Road c. 1870 Vernacular I house
John Schwartz Farm 14218 Irving Road 1870 Vernacular I house
Schwartz Family Cemetery 13935 Irving Road 19th century-early 20th century
J. J. Schwartz Farm 5229-35 Bruick Road c. 1870 Vernacular log
Platter Family Cemetery S. of Webster Road E. of Maumee River c. 1852
Summerset (town) S. Bank of Maumee River near Webster Road
Shaney Brooks (or local surname Shanebrook?) Gas Station 16800 E. Woodburn Road c. 1920 Craftsman
Five Points/Canal Turnaround US 24 at Webster & Woodburn Road. 1920 Craftsman
Henry Busche Farm 4029 Sampson Road c. 1870 Vernacular log
Peter Schaaf Farm 3637 Webster Road c. 1872 Victorian Gothic
William P. Bruick Farm 15019 Parent Road c. 1870 Vernacular gabled ell
George Peter Schlink Farm 14218 Parent Road 1879 Italianate
Hemsoth-Metert Farm 12830 Stellhorn Road c. 1870 Queen Anne
Hemrich Nietert Farm 3534 Ricker Road 1885 Italianate
Wm. Schafer Farm 3814 Ricker Road 1875 Vernacular wing, gabled front
Gottlieb Schafer Barn & Outbuildings 12015 Stellhorn Road 1893 1893 Bank barn
Henry Meyer Farm 11604 Stellhorn Road 1875 Vernacular: I house
Village of Thurman 10800 E Stellhorn Road at 4400 N Thurman, E to RR tracks Early 20th-century village
H. Kuehn Farm 10930 Stellhorn Road Vernacular
Vonderau Farm 3714 Thurman Road c. 1910 Dutch Colonial Revival
Bowers Mill 11500 Parent Road at Bride N-side c. 1861 Vernacular water-powered mill
Henry Nahrwold Farm 11013 Parent Road 1875 Vernacular gabled Front
Lapp-Vonderau Farm 11102 Stellhorn Road 1900 Victorian Gothic
Young-Hermann Farm 11418 Parent Road 1890 East Lake
Heinrich Bischoff Farm 11618 Parent Road c. 1880 Queen Anne
Hiram Parent Farm 12808 Parent Road c. 1875 Italianate
John Harper Farm 13086 Bremer Road 1870 Vernacular gabled ell
Charles Hockemeyer Farm 14216 Bremer Road 1911-12 Classical Revival
State Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery 1910 Berthaud Road Milan
Herman & Christine Meyer Farm 15503 Gar Creek Road p. 1900 Foursquare with Colonial Revival detail
Gar Creek Union Cemetery 15715 Gar Creek Road 1884
Mosler Village 17703 Bremer Road N. of RR Tracks and Road 1854
Gar Creek Settlement 16221 Gar Creek Road

Major highways

Airports and landing strips

  • Airpark Field

School districts

  • East Allen County Schools

Political districts

References

  1. ^ a b c "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Milan township, Allen County, Indiana". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  2. ^ Osborne, Hubert L. "Gar Creek Mennonite Church (Gar Creek, Indiana, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia (Online.) 1956. Retrieved 13 January 2008 <http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/G362.html>
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