The Ashippun post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Alderley (1856), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,663178 years
How historic is Ashippun?
A−
More historic than 80% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Ashippun post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Ashippun’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ashippun is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #83 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ashippun’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 Ashippun’s 3.7 sits near the middle of its state (64% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Ashippun’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Ashippun yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Ashippun is a town in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The unincorporated communities of Alderley, Ashippun, and Old Ashippun are located in the town. The population was 2,663 at the 2020 census.
Its first post office opened in 1848. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,559 to 2,663 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Ashippun in 1880
Passages that mention Ashippun, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc1880 · page 313Read the page →
Read the text
have their dams and water-wheels and mills and factories. Hustisford, however, may be considered the most favored point on Rock River within the limits of Dodge County at the present time. In the town of Rubicon, saw and grist mills are supplied with power from the Rubicon River at several points, while Ashippun River, as it passes through the southeastern corner of the town of Ashippun, is utilized in the same manner. Rock River passes out of Dodge County in Section 36, town of Lebanon, but returns, as if loath to leave so beautiful a spot, and makes its force felt again (in the town of Emmet) before winding its weary way to the mother stream. The entire area drained by Rock River and its tributaries in Wisconsin is 3,635 square miles. The
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc1880 · page 315Read the page →
Read the text
and, in population, by only three or four. The German element is numerous, and about equals that of all other nationalities, predominating chiefly in the eastern portion. They are an industrious and saving people ; law-abiding and lovers of good and honest government. The town of Ashippun is chiefly settled by Scandinavians, while the Irish may be said to predominate in the towns of Elba, Portland and Shields. A large proportion of the town of Calamus is Welsh. The Americans are most numerous in the central portion of the county.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing ... its early settlement, growth ... an extensive and minute sketch of its cities ... war record, biographical sketches1880 · page 412Read the page →
Read the text
County, and on the east by Washington. It is principally settled by Norwegians, but with large representations of English, Germans and other nationalities. It is an exclusively farming community, there being no village of any considerable size in it. There are two post offices here, Ashippun and Alderly, both being small villages. There are several churches and schoolhouses in the town ; therefore, the moral and intellectual welfare of the people is attended to. We find, in 1879, a total number of 22,809 acres returned to the Assessor, valued at $351,439.
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.
The Ashippun post office opened in 1848, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Ashippun rank for history?
Ashippun is more historic than 80% of U.S. towns, #83 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 Ashippun?
One place: the Meissner Store (listed 2024).
How old are the homes in Ashippun?
21% of Ashippun’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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