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History · Blackwell

Blackwell’s post office opened in 1905, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on.

1905first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Blackwell began

When was Blackwell founded?

1905

The Blackwell post office opened in 1905, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 152121 years
Founding year: the first Blackwell post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Blackwell’s collection

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

Blackwell, in brief

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

Blackwell is a town in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 152 at the time of the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Blackwell is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Blackwell Junction is also located partially in the town. The town was named for sawmill owner John Blackwell.

Its first post office opened in 1905. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 332 to 152 (-54%).

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

Timeline

Blackwell, 1905 to 1972

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1905Post officeThe Blackwell post office opens
  3. 1961Post officeThe Blackwell post office closes
  4. 1972On 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.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Blackwell on the map, 1972 to 1991

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

Blackwell on the 1972 USGS mapBlackwell on the 1991 USGS map1972Blackwell 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 Blackwell.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Blackwell had its own post office from 1905 to 1961.

Blackwell
1905–1961
19001960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blackwell Junction

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.

Laona2 historic placesA−Wabeno2 historic placesB+Silver CliffIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townArmstrong Creek2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGoodmanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Blackwell’s history

What year was Blackwell founded?

The Blackwell post office opened in 1905, 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 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.