Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bloomfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1893Geneva 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 Bloomfield.
The story so far
Bloomfield, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bloomfield yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bloomfield is a town in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,778 at the 2020 census. The village of Bloomfield was formed from part of the town on December 20, 2011. The census-designated place of Lake Ivanhoe and unincorporated community of North Bloomfield are located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 6,278 to 1,778 (-72%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bloomfield in 1882
Passages that mention Bloomfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources...its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1882 · page 835Read the page →
Read the text
On January 23, 1844, Township 1, Range 18 east, being the southeast quarter of the town of Geneva, was, by act of Legislature, set off and incorporated under the name of Bloomfield. Bloomfield is the extreme southeastern town in Walworth County, and is bounded north by the town of Lyons ; south by the town of Richmond, Illinois ; east by the town of Wheatland, Kenosha County ; and west by the town of Linn. It contains thirty-six square miles of varied and diversified country, well watered, and admirably adapted to agricultural pursuits, Bloom Prairie, in the southwestern portion of the town, being considered the richest land in the county.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Walworth County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources...its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers1882 · page 837Read the page →
Read the text
Benjamin F. Trow and wife came from Massachusetts to Bloomfield and settled on Section 24, in the spring of 1838. They lived for a time in the adjoining town of Richmond, 111., and about 1870 moved into the village of Genoa Junction, where Mrs. Trow now lives. Mr. Trow has been dead several years.
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.
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.
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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps 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.
