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History · Wilmont Township

Wilmont Township dates to 1899, and 40% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Church of St. Kilian (Catholic). Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1967 on, and the census since 1910.

1899founded
1on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Wilmont Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Wilmont Township began

When was Wilmont Township founded?

1899

Wilmont Township dates its founding to 1899 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 258 in 19102020 census: 185127 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1892.The full story ↓

What stands out about Wilmont Township’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 473 in 1950; 332 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Wilmont Township’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Wilmont Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewWilmont Township, MN, 1914: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Wilmont Township, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020Peak: 473

Peaked at 473 in 1950; 332 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Wilmont Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wilmont Township.

Read it all →

The town of Wilmont was established in 1899. The town was named in a roundabout way after the township in which it was located.

Willmont Township (note the double-L) was established in 1878. There was a general disagreement over the township name, one faction wishing to call it Willumet, and the other favoring Lamont. On November 22, 1878, a compromise was reached, and the township was formally named Willmont.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Wilmont Township, 1892 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1892Post officeThe Saint Kilian post office opens
  3. 1899
    FoundingWilmont Township is established
  4. 20th century
  5. 1907Post officeThe Saint Kilian post office closes
  6. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 473
  7. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Wilmont Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Wilmont Township, MN, 1914Date?Wilmont Township, MN, 1914
Today1 recent
MNMap-doton-Wilmont2005MNMap-doton-Wilmont
On the map

Wilmont Township on the map, 1967 to 1985

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

Wilmont Township on the 1967 USGS mapWilmont Township on the 1985 USGS map1967Slayton SW 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 Wilmont Township.

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.

Wilmont Township, MN, 1914
Retake this viewWilmont Township, MN, 1914

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Wilmont Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Church of St. Kilian (Catholic)
Church of St. Kilian (Catholic)
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian Gothic1
All 1 listings
Church of St. Kilian (Catholic)Building · listed 1998

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Wilmont Township

Nobody well known was born in Wilmont Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Patricia A. ThielAmerican chemist · b. 1953
C
Cedric AdamsAmerican broadcaster · b. 1902
L
Lloyd VossAmerican football player · b. 1942
G
Gaylin Den OudenAmerican politician · b. 1945
R
Robert J. TennessenAmerican politician from Minnesota · b. 1939
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Another post office, Saint Kilian, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Saint Kilian
Gone or out of use
Saint Kilian Post Officepost office

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

WilmontIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLeota TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLarkin TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBloom TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFenton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Wilmont Township’s history

What year was Wilmont Township founded?

In 1899, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Wilmont Township’s post office opened in 1892, and the census of 1910 counted 258 people here.

What is on the National Register in Wilmont Township?

One place: the Church of St. Kilian (Catholic) (listed 1998).

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