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–Not graded
History · Birch

20% of Birch’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1966 on.

0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Birch’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 Birch are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Birch’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Birch’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 so far

Birch, in brief

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

Birch is a town in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 570, down from 594 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Irma is located in the town.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 594 to 570 (-4%).

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

Timeline

Birch, 1884 to 1966

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1884Post officeThe Chat post office opens
  3. 1888Post officeThe Irma post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1911Post officeThe Chat post office closes
  6. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the map

Birch on the map, 1966 to 1990

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

Birch on the 1966 USGS mapBirch on the 1982 USGS mapBirch on the 1990 USGS map1966Tomahawk 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 Birch.

Famous people

Famous people close to Birch

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

See all →
W
Wendy BoglioliAmerican swimmer · b. 1955
Jay LeggettAmerican actor, improvisational comedian, produ… · b. 1963
Mike WebsterAmerican football player · b. 1952
Carl R. EklundAmerican ornithologist · b. 1909
Donald Edgar TewesAmerican politician · b. 1916
Edward S. JordanAmerican automotive pioneer · b. 1881
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Another post office, Chat, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Chat
1884–1911
Irma
1888–today
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Irma
Gone or out of use
Chat Schoolschool

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.

Rock FallsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRussellIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSkanawanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Birch’s history

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 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.