Arcadia dates to 1855, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #193 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Arcadia Free Public Library and the East Arcadia Roller Mill. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1858.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Arcadia’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Arcadia is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #193 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Arcadia’s overall grade.
Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Arcadia’s 5.3 sits above most of its state (66% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 points). Two sources give 1855.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Arcadia’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Arcadia was founded in 1855 on a hill overlooking the Trempealeau River Valley. However, when the Green Bay and Western Railroad built a line in the river valley, the city developed along the line. In 1858, David Massuere began work on a flour mill that was then finished in 1860. In 1900, the city built a Grist Mill For Michael Stelmach and John Kamla. In 1903 Korpal Valley School was moved to the Mill. Around the early 2010s the school building collapsed and was removed, yet the Mill still stands.
Passages that mention Arcadia, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin1917 · page 224Read the page →
Read the text
Trempealeau was platted April 21, 22 and 23, 1852 (as Montoville, April 7, 1852), was incorporated nearly two decades later and reincorporated March 10, 1900. Galesville was platted April 22, 1854, and incorporated June 13, 1887. Arcadia was platted Jan. 27, 1874, and incorporated Dec. 17, 1878. Whitehall was platted Jan. 20, 1874, and incorporated June 14, 1887. Eleva was platted Sept. 10, 1877, and incorporated Jan. 14, 1902.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Trempealeau County, Wisconsin1917 · page 173Read the page →
Read the text
Meyers Valley is wholly in the town of Arcadia, and lies about one and a half miles south of the village of Arcadia. It is really a series of short pocket valleys with a rich black loam soil, and long has been one of the choice farm localities in the town, and perhaps in the county. Grain growing was long the chief industry, but stock raising, grass and corn has all along had much attention, and in recent years dairying has flourished among the people of the valley. It is a natural locality for diversified or intensive farming, and its people were really always well-to-do when the
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Arcadia, 1855 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1855, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Arcadia’s post office opened in 1858, and the census of 1880 counted 665 people here.
How does Arcadia rank for history?
Arcadia is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #193 of 362 in Wisconsin. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Arcadia?
Two places: the Arcadia Free Public Library (listed 1994) and the East Arcadia Roller Mill (2021).
How old are the homes in Arcadia?
13% of Arcadia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1977.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (2), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1910
1995
