Most of Bridgeport was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1983 on, and old-book passages.
The Bridgeport post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Wright's Ferry (1857), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 988167 years
How historic is Bridgeport?
C−
More historic than 19% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Bridgeport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Bridgeport’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bridgeport is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bridgeport’s overall grade.
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 Bridgeport’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 →
What stands out about Bridgeport’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bridgeport yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bridgeport is a town in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 988 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Bridgeport is located in the town.
Its first post office opened in 1859. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 990 in 2010, 988 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Bridgeport in 1881
Passages that mention Bridgeport, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Crawford county and Ohio. Containing a history of the state of Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time ... a history of Crawford county ... biographical sketches1881 · page 101Read the page →
Read the text
During the war, a settlement was commenced near the present town of Bridgeport, in Belmont County, by Capt. Joseph Bel mont, a noted Delaware Revolutionary officer, who. because bus State could furnish only one company, could rise no higher than Captain of that company, and hen** always maintained that grade. He settled on a beautiful knoll near the present county seat, but
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.
Timeline
Bridgeport, 1857 to 1983
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Bridgeport post office opened in 1859, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Bridgeport rank for history?
Bridgeport is more historic than 19% 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.
How old are the homes in Bridgeport?
3% of Bridgeport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 the Library of Congress (4), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
1941
1941
Date?
