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History · Athelstane

Athelstane’s post office opened in 1894

Most of Athelstane was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1972 on.

1894first post office
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
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Photo: I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Athelstane began

When was Athelstane founded?

1894

The Athelstane post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Intervale (1903), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 554132 years
Founding year: the first Athelstane post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Athelstane’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 Athelstane are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Athelstane’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Athelstane came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Athelstane.

Read it all →

The name Athelstane is derived from the Scottish word athelstane, meaning Athel's stone.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Athelstane, 1894 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1894Post officeThe Athelstane post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1903Post officeThe Intervale post office opens
  5. 1931Post officeThe Intervale post office closes
  6. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Athelstane, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Athelstane Wisconsin Town Hall2013Athelstane Wisconsin Town HallAthelstane Wisconsin Sign Looking North2013Athelstane Wisconsin Sign Looking NorthAthelstane Wisconsin Fire Department2013Athelstane Wisconsin Fire DepartmentAthelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking West2013Athelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking WestAthelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking North2013Athelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking NorthAthelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking East2013Athelstane Wisconsin Downtown Looking East
On the map

Athelstane on the map, 1972 to 1990

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

Athelstane on the 1972 USGS mapAthelstane on the 1990 USGS map1972Athelstane 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 Athelstane.

Famous people

Famous people close to Athelstane

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

See all →
Lyle MaysAmerican jazz musician · b. 1953
John A. GronouskiAmerican diplomat · b. 1919
Kevin GravelAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1992
P
Pete BanaszakAmerican football player · b. 1944
Russ BauersAmerican baseball player · b. 1914
T
Tim KearneyAmerican football player · b. 1950
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Athelstane’s post office has been open since 1894. Another post office, Intervale, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Athelstane
1894–today
Intervale
1903–1931
18901960today
Gone or out of use
Brown SchoolschoolCoons SchoolschoolIntervale SchoolschoolMathis ChurchchurchRector SchoolschoolWoodrow Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Athelstane
Athelstane

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.

Silver CliffIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAmberg1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStephensonIts storyC−Wausaukee1 historic placeC+DunbarIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGoodmanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Athelstane’s history

What year was Athelstane founded?

The Athelstane post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.