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History · Browerville

Browerville dates to 1882, and 36% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Church of St. Joseph-Catholic and the Kahlert Mercantile Store. Below: maps from 1966 on and the census since 1890.

1882founded
2on the National Register
36%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Browerville began

When was Browerville founded?

1882

Browerville dates its founding to 1882 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 86 in 18902020 census: 839144 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1870.The full story ↓

What stands out about Browerville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Browerville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Browerville.Old housesHalf of Browerville’s homes were built before 1953.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Browerville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Browerville’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Browerville’s post office has been open since 1894. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hartford
1870–1894
Browerville
1894–today
Hartford
1900–1901
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Browervillelocale

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

The story

How Browerville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Browerville.

Read it all →

Browerville was platted in 1882, and named after Jacob V. Brower (1844–1905), a noted conservationist, father of both Itasca State Park and the Minnesota State Park system, and former Todd County official. Browerville was incorporated in 1884. Two properties in town are on the National Register of Historic Places: the Kahlert Mercantile Store, built in 1883, and the Church of St. Joseph, completed in 1909.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Browerville, 1870 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1870Post officeThe Hartford post office opens
  3. 1877Born hereLew Drill is born here
  4. 1882
    FoundingBrowerville is established
  5. 1883BuiltKahlert Mercantile Store is built
  6. 1894Post officeThe Hartford post office closes
  7. 1894Post officeThe Browerville post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1900Post officeThe Hartford post office opens
  10. 1901Post officeThe Hartford post office closes
  11. 1943Born hereLaVyrle Spencer is born here
  12. 1959Born hereGail T. Kulick is born here
  13. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Browerville, decade by decade

Today11 recent
Main Street, looking west-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street, looking west-Browerville, MinnesotaMain Street looking towards Christ the King Catholic Church-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street looking towards Christ the King Catholic …Main Street between 5th and 6th Streets, looking southwest-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street between 5th and 6th Streets, looking sout…Main Street at 6th Street, looking southeast-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street at 6th Street, looking southeast-Browervi…Main Street at 6th Street looking north-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street at 6th Street looking north-Browerville, …Main Street and 5th Street, looking southeast-Browerville, Minnesota2024Main Street and 5th Street, looking southeast-Browerv…City Hall-Browerville, Minnesota2024City Hall-Browerville, MinnesotaBuilding at Main and 6th Streets, looking northwest-Browerville, Minnesota2024Building at Main and 6th Streets, looking northwest-B…Browerville Municipal Liquor Store-Browerville, Minnesota2024Browerville Municipal Liquor Store-Browerville, Minne…Area Foodshelf-Browerville, Minnesota2024Area Foodshelf-Browerville, MinnesotaArea Foodshelf doorway-Browerville, Minnesota2024Area Foodshelf doorway-Browerville, Minnesota
On the map

Browerville on the map, 1966 to 1986

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

Browerville on the 1966 USGS mapBrowerville on the 1986 USGS map1966Browerville sheet · 1:24,000

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

On the National Register

2 historic places in Browerville

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
4
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Church of St. Joseph-Catholic
Church of St. Joseph-CatholicKahlert Mercantile Store, built 1883
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Southern German Baroque1
False-Front 'Boomtown'1
Church of St. Joseph-CatholicSouthern German Baroque
Kahlert Mercantile StoreFalse-Front 'Boomtown' · Built 1883

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Browerville, census by census

02004006008001900192019401960198020002020839

Grew from 86 people in 1890 to 839 in 2020, 9 times over.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Browerville

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

See all →
L
LaVyrle SpencerAmerican writer · b. 1943
G
Gail T. KulickAmerican politician · b. 1959
Lew DrillAmerican baseball player · b. 1877

Questions about Browerville’s history

What year was Browerville founded?

In 1882, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Browerville’s post office opened in 1870, and the census of 1890 counted 86 people here.

What is on the National Register in Browerville?

Two places: the Church of St. Joseph-Catholic (listed 1985) and the Kahlert Mercantile Store (1985).

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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.