Muskingum Township is one of the twenty-two townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Washington County

Washington County, Ohio

Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 4,627 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Salem Township
  Salem Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Salem Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,130 people in the township, 1,021 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Fearing Township
  Fearing Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Fearing Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 910 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Salem Township - north...
  
   - east
• Marietta Township
  Marietta Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Marietta Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,673 people in the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Warren Township
  Warren Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Warren Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,044 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county along the Ohio River, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southwest
• Watertown Township
  Watertown Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Watertown Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,563 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - west
• Adams Township
  Adams Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Adams Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,830 people in the township, 1,202 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest

Small portions of the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Marietta

Marietta, Ohio

Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...

 are located in southern Muskingum Township, and much of the central part of the township is occupied by the census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 of Devola

Devola, Ohio

Devola is a census-designated place in Washington County, Ohio, United States, along the Muskingum River. It is part of the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area...

.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Muskingum Township is located in Muskingum County

Muskingum Township, Muskingum County, Ohio

Muskingum Township is one of the twenty-five townships of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,813 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the north central part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer, who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.