Township Trustee
Brian Minich was appointed to Township Trustee in September 2024, succeeding the late Jane Linker. He has been actively involved in the community as a member of the Hoagland Fire & EMS, St. John-Emmanuel school board, St. John-Flatrock church council, long-time local DJ, and coach for youth sports.
Brian and his wife Aimee have been married for 22 years and are blessed with three sons: Jordan, Noah, & Elan. Brian and his family reside in rural Madison Township on property owned by the Minich family for generations.
Duties of Township Trustee
Township trustees must reside in the township they serve and serve a four-year term. They must also take an oath before entering office.
- Administration Overseeing the township's administration, including preparing the annual budget, paying and recording financial transactions, and presenting an annual report
- Property management (IC 36-10), (IC 23-14)
Managing all township property, including parks, community centers, and cemeteries - Fire protection (IC 36-8)
Provide fire protection and emergency services for the township residents. - Record keeping
Maintaining accurate records of official proceedings and keeping township records open to the public. - Township Assistance (IC 12-20), (IC 12-30-4)
Helping residents in need by connecting them to resources and distributing relief. - Other duties (IC 15-16-8), (IC 32-26)
Notary, inspecting new fences, settling disputes over livestock trespassing, burial or cremation services for the indigent, and destroying of noxious weeds.
History of Madison Twp
Madison Township is in the county’s southeastern quadrant, bordered by Monroe Township to the east, Adams County to the south, Marion Township to the west, and Jefferson Township to the north. The town ship was named for President James Madison and was created in 1840. It has an area of nearly 37 square miles and as of the 2010 census, has a population of 1,771. Before it was settled, the township was thick with trees such as poplar, ash, and oak. It was fertile, but swampy in areas, which required draining. The first road was nothing more than a path through the woods, known as Wayne Trace, which Anthony Wayne and his men used in 1794 on their return to Cincinnati, Ohio. The first European‐American settlers arrived around 1834 and the first schoolhouse was built in 1840. The following year, the township trustees petitioned the county commissioners about building a road and in 1846 the Van Wert Road was surveyed. By 1850 there were 561 people living in the township. The early economy of the township was a barter economy, as money was scarce and settlers traded crops, furs, and other items. The first town was established in 1851 when Massilon was started along the Van Wert Road, about four miles southeast of the present town of Hoagland. The second town to be plated was Centerville, in 1852. Its establishment was prompted by the coming of the Ohio and Indiana Railroad. However, the railroad didn’t put a spur there and the town, like nearby Massilon, was never heavily settled.
By 1850, there were a number of religious congregations. In 1841 the Methodists had organized a church and a Presbyterian congregation formed in the early 1850s. Two Lutheran churches were also formed early in the township’s history and were affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church‐Flatrock held services in German and reached out to the area’s many German immigrants. Its first church was built in 1853. Not all immigrants were attracted to the conservative Missouri Synod church, nor did they all want services in German. Several English language churches were formed, the first of which was the Massilon Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1850. Saint John’s Flatrock had the only parochial school in the area and opened about the same me as other nearby public schools in 1854. By 1880 there were ten school buildings in the town ship, arranged so that children wouldn’t have to walk more than a mile to get to school. By 1921, four of the original schools were still open and one district was assigned to the newer Hoagland school, which was built in 1892. In 1927 a new building opened for both the elementary and high schools. At that point the remaining one‐room schoolhouses were closed and students were sent to the new school. In 1965 the school became part of the East Allen County Schools and construction began on Heritage High School, which would house students from Marion, Madison and Monroe townships. Hoagland high school closed in 1968, but the elementary school continued to operate.
In the years after the Civil War, the Cincinnati, Richmond and Fort Wayne Railroad was routed through the southwestern portion of the township and helped the township’s commercial growth. In 1871 a small depot opened and in 1872 the village of Hoagland was plated. The first post office opening in 1872. The railroad helped the settlement of the new community because it allowed farmers to get their livestock and crops to market more easily. In 1877 a sawmill opened in the town and before that a flour mill had been established. By 1898 there was a tile factory and grain elevator and the Bank of Hoagland opened in 1909. The town of Hoagland remains a commercial center for Madison Township to this day. Madison Township remains rural in character and although there continues to be new houses built, there has been little widespread suburbanization.
Hoagland
The unincorporated town of Hoagland is located in the southwest portion of Madison Township. The route of the Cincinnati, Richmond, and Fort Wayne Railroad (C.R.& F.W.) through the southwestern portion of Madison Township became an important factor in the town’s commercial growth. The C.R. & F.W. leased the line to the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and in 1871 a small depot opened in the southwest corner of Section 9. The following year Stephen Emenhiser entered a plat for a village after Joseph Harrod donated the land to the railroad under the stipulation that it be called Harrodsburg. The railroad accepted the gift , but chose the name of Hoagland instead to honor Pliny Hoagland of Fort Wayne, a railroad director. Though the town remained unincorporated, a post office was established there in 1872 and James English was appointed its first postmaster. Hoagland’s early success was fueled in part by the commercial prospects offered by the railroad, which allowed local farmers to bring their product, livestock, and lumber to the depot for shipment elsewhere. Samuel Steadman is credited as the town’s first merchant, but by 1880 several other businesses had opened. In 1877 Charles and Joseph Houser opened the Saw Mill and Bending Factory. By 1898 D. L. Small had opened a brick and tile manufacturing company supplying drainage tiles to local farmers. The Bank of Hoagland opened in 1909. None of these businesses or industries were large, but they were sufficient to keep the town prosperous when other towns in the region disappeared. As Hoagland and Madison Township matured, growth continued to be slow but steady. By 1921 the Madison Township Advisory Board received several petitions from local citizens advocating for the construction of an elementary school and a high school in Hoagland. Three years later the board approved a construction plan despite some local opposition over the closure of one‐room schools in the township. In 1927 the new building housing both schools opened.
Hoagland has expanded westward and now extends into Marion Township and functions as the commercial center of both townships. Hoagland retains the small town character that characterized it throughout the 20th century. The community celebrates Hoagland Days each June.
* Research information provided by The Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA).
Maps of Madison Township
