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History · Wisner

Wisner dates to 1892, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1941 on, and the census since 1930.

1892founded
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wisner’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wisner began

When was Wisner founded?

1892

Wisner dates its founding to 1892 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 692 in 19302020 census: 771134 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1893.The full story ↓

What stands out about Wisner’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,424 in 1980; 771 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wisner’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · People over time

Wisner, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40019401960198020002020Peak: 1,424

Peaked at 1,424 in 1980; 771 people lived here in 2020.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Wisner’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Wisner came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wisner.

Read it all →

Wisner was founded in 1892 by Edward Wisner, a native of Athens, Michigan, whose family came from Switzerland and originally settled in Orange County, New York, in the early 1700s.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wisner, 1892 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892
    FoundingWisner is established
  3. 1893Post officeThe Wisner post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1922Born hereJ. C. Gilbert is born here
  6. 1933In the archiveGeneral view of depot in context from old rail line, looking south - Missouri Pacific Rai…
  7. 1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1954Born hereWayne Watson is born here
  9. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,424
  10. 1998Born herePhidarian Mathis is born here
By decade

Wisner, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s6 items
General view of depot in context from old rail line, looking south - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (St…1933General view of depot in context from old rail line, …General view of depot in context, looking northwest - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (State Highway 15)…1933General view of depot in context, looking northwest -…Interior, main room of station from west entry door looking east - Sinclair Service Station, Natchez Street (State High…1933Interior, main room of station from west entry door l…Interior, room in middle of depot looking west - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (State Highway 15) and …1933Interior, room in middle of depot looking west - Miss…Interior, room in southeast corner of depot looking southeast - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (State H…1933Interior, room in southeast corner of depot looking s…Interior, room in southwest corner of depot looking northeast - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (State H…1933Interior, room in southwest corner of depot looking n…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Wisner on the map, 1941 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wisner. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Wisner on the 1941 USGS mapWisner on the 1957 USGS mapWisner on the 1976 USGS mapWisner on the 1983 USGS map1941Sicily Island sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Wisner.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

General view of depot in context from old rail line, looking south - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (St…
Retake this viewGeneral view of depot in context from old rail line, looking south - Missouri Pacific Railway Depot, Natches Street (St…, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Wisner’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Wisner

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Phidarian MathisAmerican football player · b. 1998
J
J. C. GilbertCotton farmer and member of the Louisiana State… · b. 1922
W
Wayne WatsonAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1954
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Wisner’s post office has been open since 1893.

Gone or out of use
Wisner Elementary SchoolschoolWisner High Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Wisner’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewGeneral view of depot in context from o…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Wisner’s history

What year was Wisner founded?

In 1892, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wisner’s post office opened in 1893, and the census of 1930 counted 692 people here.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.