Some of the first white people in the area that would become Pleasant Township were Teamsters who hauled munitions and cannons though the center of the township along an old buffalo trace that became a "war road" during the War of 1812. This road later became the Marion-Waldo Road (State Route 423).
The first settlers in the township area were the Pennsylvania Germans or "Dutch" in the 1820’s. These early settlers discovered pleasant, sun dappled land amidst deep, dark forests and gave Pleasant Township its name which was one of the original townships of Marion County. The entry of the name Pleasant Township was made during the organization of Marion County in the first session of the Marion County Commissioners on June 8, 1824. Pleasant was one of the first townships of the 15 now in the county.
In the early history of the township, much sickness prevailed and one of the primary causes of death was milk sickness. Milk sickness resulted from drinking milk from cows that had eaten a plant know as white snakeroot.
Early settlers in the township were assigned a road "tax", which amounted to labor to help clear and improve township thoroughfares. Some of the township roads still bear the names of these early settlers; examples Smeltzer, Somerlot-Hoffman, Benzler, Benzler-Lust, Neidhardt and Wolfinger Roads.
There were several one-room schoolhouses in the early years of the township. The first school was held in the Van Horn family cabin at what is today the corner of Owens Road and Marion-Waldo Road. In September 1916, a new brick schoolhouse was ready for students. This building still exists as the north end of the present middle school. The first graduating class from the new school was the class of 1919, which had 12 students. By the 1840’s, the township population had almost tripled from 476 to 1414 with the arrival of a strong tide of immigrant German families. The German language and customs left an enduring cultural legacy in the township.
Agriculture has always been predominate in the township with its population growing in suburban-type growth. The population of the township presently stands at 4418. Today, the township encompasses 29.1 square miles.
