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–Not graded
History · Bell Center

Bell Center’s post office opened in 1855, and 44% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1924 on and the census since 1880.

1855first post office
0on the National Register
44%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Bell Center began

When was Bell Center founded?

1855

The Bell Center post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 94 in 18802020 census: 108171 years
Founding year: the first Bell Center post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Bell Center’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 Bell Center are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 264 in 1940; 108 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19243 editions of the USGS map, 1924 to 1983. Watch Bell Center change.Old housesHalf of Bell Center’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bell Center’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bell Center’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
People over time

Bell Center, census by census

010020018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 264

Peaked at 264 in 1940; 108 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Bell Center on the map, 1924 to 1983

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

Bell Center on the 1924 USGS mapBell Center on the 1966 USGS mapBell Center on the 1983 USGS map1924Gays Mills sheet · 1:62,500

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

The story so far

Bell Center, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bell Center yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bell Center is a village in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 108 at the 2020 census, down from 117 at the 2010 census.

Its first post office opened in 1855. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 117 to 108 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Bell Center, 1855 to 1940

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1855Post officeThe Bell Center post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1924On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1932Post officeThe Bell Center post office closes
  6. 1940CensusPopulation peaks at 264
By decade

Bell Center, decade by decade

Today1 recent
Bell Center, WI from the south2015Bell Center, WI from the south
Famous people

Famous people close to Bell Center

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

See all →
C
Constance KiesAmerican dietitian and nutrition scientist · b. 1934
D
Doug AdamsAmerican baseball player · b. 1943
Philip BohlmanAmerican academic · b. 1952
Nathan Crook TwiningUnited States Navy Rear Admiral · b. 1869
O
Otey ClarkAmerican baseball player · b. 1915
Samuel HofUnited States Army major general · b. 1870
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Bell Center had its own post office from 1855 to 1932.

Bell Center
1855–1932
18501940today
1cemetery inside Bell Center
Bell Center

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.

HaneyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townClaytonIts storyB−Gays MillsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUticaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bell Center’s history

What year was Bell Center founded?

The Bell Center post office opened in 1855, 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 (1), 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.