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Each 36-square-mile (about 93.2 km 2) township is divided into 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres, roughly 2.6 km 2) each. [1] The sections can be further subdivided for sale. The townships are referenced by a numbering system that locates the township in relation to a principal meridian (north-south) and a base line (east-west). For ...
An area of six sections by six sections would define a township. Within this area, one section (section 16) was designated as school land. As the entire parcel would not be necessary for the school and its grounds, the balance of it was to be sold, with the monies to go into the construction and upkeep of the school. Section 36 was also ...
Many schools today are still located in section sixteen of their respective townships, [citation needed] although a great many of the school sections were sold to raise money for public education. In later States, section 36 of each township was also designated as a "school section". [4] [5] [6]
Because township government is defined by each state, the use of this form also varies by state. States using a township form include the following: Township government is used in Indiana, Iowa, [5] Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin (in Wisconsin known as towns).
If the railway ran predominantly north and south, a 10-mile (16 km) township of one square mile sections was allotted on each side of the 400-foot (120 m) right-of-way. The land was granted in alternating sections (one square mile), with each odd numbered section going to the railroad company and each even numbered section kept by the government.
A civil township is a unit of local government in the U.S., which is subordinate to a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on the laws of the respective state . In many states, townships are organized and operate under the authority of state statutes, similar to counties.
A typical town in the northern three states was laid out in a 6-by-6-mile (9.7 by 9.7 km) square. Each contained 36 sections, 1 mile (1.6 km) squares or 640 acres (260 ha). One section was reserved for the support of public schools. This was copied when the Continental Congress laid out Ohio in 1785–87. [5]
Each township was subdivided into 36 1-square-mile (2.6 km 2) sections numbered boustrophedonically, as established by the Act of May 18, 1796. [7] Under the Act of 1816, Joseph Wampler surveyed the riverfront into long lots of about 160 acres (0.65 km 2 ) each, numbered 1 to 93, and officially called "River Tracts".