Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Heiney's Meat Market. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1890.
The Black Earth post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.
More historic than 64% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Black Earth is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
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 Black Earth’s 17.3 sits above most of its state (81% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Black Earth’s history is told.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1894Sheet 1 of 1Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
From Wikipedia’s history of Black Earth.
In 1851, the town board renamed the town Farmersville, but the name Black Earth was readopted in 1857.
In June 1984, the Barneveld Tornado ripped through part of Black Earth, damaging and destroying several buildings.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Black Earth, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The village of Black Earth is one of considerable business, and is situated on section 26. It contains a grist mill, Congregational and Methodist churches, hotel, town hall, a newspaper office and a number of stores and shops. It was incorporated in 1857, which act was after¬ wards repealed. Population in 1870, 966.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Prairie Du Chien Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad passes through the town, entering at Section 36 and passing through the village of Black Earth, leaves the town at Section 22, entering into Mazomanie. The first permanent settlement made in the town was by Solomon Hayden and Charles Turk, in the spring of 1843, Mr. Hayden erecting the first house within the present town limits. It was a rude affair, such as is common to all new countries, but it was a home, and " Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." The next settler was Henry Wilson, who came in October, 1848, of whom the story is often told, that he spent his first winter in a haystack.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
This township, located in the northwest comer of the county, was formerly a part of the town of Black Earth, and comprises the north half of towiiship 8 north, of range 6 east, and fractional part of town 9, range 6, lying south and east of the Wisconsin river. The northern portion of this town bordering on the rirer, was at one time low and marshy; but now, extensive tracts have been drained and brought under cultivation,
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Black Earth. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Black Earth.
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Black Earth’s page.
Retake this view · +15The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Grew from 355 people in 1890 to 1,493 in 2020, 4 times over.
13 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Black Earth’s Wikipedia page.
The Black Earth post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Black Earth is more historic than 64% of U.S. towns. 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.
One place: the Heiney's Meat Market (listed 1984).
17% of Black Earth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1977.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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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