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History · Belmont

Belmont dates to 1835, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the First Capitol. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1902 on, and the census since 1880.

1835founded
1on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Belmont’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Belmont began

When was Belmont founded?

1835

Belmont dates its founding to 1835 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 410 in 18802020 census: 794191 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.The full story ↓

What stands out about Belmont’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.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Belmont, and 1 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1984. Watch Belmont change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1835: 191 years of Belmont.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Belmont’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFirst Capitol of Wisconsin: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cottage Inn
1849–1871
Bethel Grove
1857–1861
Leslie
1881–1934
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Leslie
Gone or out of use
Belmont QuarrymineHuggins Quarrymine

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

On the map

Belmont on the map, 1902 to 1984

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

Belmont on the 1902 USGS mapBelmont on the 1952 USGS mapBelmont on the 1984 USGS map1902Mineral Point sheet · 1:125,000

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

The story

How Belmont came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Belmont.

Read it all →

Founded in 1835 by land speculator John Atchison, Belmont was the original capital of the Wisconsin Territory, and the original territorial capitol building is preserved several miles northwest of the village at First Capitol Historic Site. The village is adjacent to the Town of Belmont. The name Belmont comes from the French for "beautiful mountain", referencing three hills within the village.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Belmont, 1835 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1835
    FoundingBelmont is established
  3. 1836BuiltFirst Capitol is built
  4. 1849Post officeThe Cottage Inn post office opens
  5. 1857Post officeThe Bethel Grove post office opens
  6. 1861Post officeThe Bethel Grove post office closes
  7. 1871Post officeThe Cottage Inn post office closes
  8. 1881Post officeThe Leslie post office opens
  9. 20th century
  10. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1934Post officeThe Leslie post office closes
  12. 1980In the archiveFirst Capitol of Wisconsin
By decade

Belmont, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s1 item
First Capitol of Wisconsin1980First Capitol of Wisconsin
1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today11 recent
Belmont, Wisconsin2024Belmont, WisconsinBelmont, WI public library and community building2019Belmont, WI public library and community buildingOld Barn and Silo2015Old Barn and SiloLakeview Farm - panoramio (1)2015Lakeview Farm - panoramio (1)Belmont Cell Tower2015Belmont Cell TowerMound View RV2013Mound View RVGrain Silos in2013Grain Silos inGrain Bins In2013Grain Bins InFarm with Three Silos - panoramio (6)2013Farm with Three Silos - panoramio (6)Entering2013EnteringLakeview Farm2012Lakeview Farm
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.

First Capitol of Wisconsin
Retake this viewFirst Capitol of Wisconsin, 1980

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Belmont

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
1970
First Capitol
First Capitol, built 1836
Buildings
All 1 listings
First CapitolBuilding · listed 1970

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

People over time

Belmont, census by census

02004006008001,00018801900192019401960198020002020989

Grew from 410 people in 1880 to 989 in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

KendallIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMifflinIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElk GroveIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLimaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Belmont’s history

What year was Belmont founded?

In 1835, according to Wikidata. Belmont’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1880 counted 410 people here.

What is on the National Register in Belmont?

One place: the First Capitol (listed 1970).

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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), 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.