Township History

On May 10, 1788, a tract of land containing 236 acres plus allowances and situated about one mile east of the present town of Hickory was patented to one Matthew Hillis, and the patent name given to this tract was “Mount Pleasant”. At that time, the area comprised within the present Township of Mount Pleasant was an almost unbroken wilderness. Quite a number of white people had already located here, but the clearing of the forests had only begun. However, the elevation of the land, the richness of the soil and the excellent drainage provided by Chartiers Creek, Raccoon Creek and Cross Creek had attracted a good class of settlers.

Mount Pleasant was not one of the original thirteen townships of Washington County. The territory included within the Township was formerly a part of the now surrounding townships of Smith, Cecil, Hopewell and Canton, all of which were “original” townships, which were set up at the time Washington County was established in 1781.

On January 6, 1806, a petition signed by citizens of this section of the County was presented to the Grand Jury of the Court of Quarter Sessions of the County, praying for the erection of a new township whose territory was to be taken from the four above-mentioned townships. The Grand Jury acted favorably on this petition, and in the May term of Court in that year of 1806, the action of the Grand Jury was confirmed and a decree ordered for the erection of a new Township to be called “Mount Pleasant”.

Therefore, in 2014, Mount Pleasant Township celebrates its 208th Anniversary of corporate existence. In 1976 a new municipal building was erected and buried in the lobby floor is a time capsule. It is scheduled to be opened 50 years from when it was buried. That date is July 4, 2026, stay tuned.

And today, per the 2010 census, there are 3,515 residents settling on 30,541 acres of land, encompassing 36.10 square miles, incorporating 86.99 miles of roads with 43.57 miles being Township owned roads. The Township takes pride in the rural community that has been established here and the residents that makeup that community.

The Mount Pleasant Township Board of Supervisors would like to thank the many volunteers who make up the various Township Boards and truly appreciates their hard work, dedication, and the amount of time spent serving the community.