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History · Briggsville

Briggsville’s post office opened in 1856, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on.

1856first post office
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Briggsville began

When was Briggsville founded?

1856

The Briggsville post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 316170 years
Founding year: the first Briggsville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Briggsville’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 Briggsville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19023 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1975. Watch Briggsville change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Briggsville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Briggsville’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
On the map

Briggsville on the map, 1902 to 1975

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

Briggsville on the 1902 USGS mapBriggsville on the 1958 USGS mapBriggsville on the 1975 USGS map1902Briggsville 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 Briggsville.

The story so far

Briggsville, in brief

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

Briggsville is a census-designated place in the southwestern corner of Marquette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on Wisconsin Highway 23 in the town of Douglas. It uses ZIP code 53920. As of the 2020 census, Briggsville had a population of 316. Briggsville is the home of the National Shrine of Saint Philomena.

Its first post office opened in 1856.

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

Timeline

Briggsville, 1866 to 1902

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1866Born hereEdward J. Cleary is born here
  3. 1893Born hereArthur S. Champeny is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902On 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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Famous people

2 famous people were born in Briggsville

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Edward J. ClearyAmerican politician · b. 1866
Arthur S. ChampenyUnited States Army Brigadier general · b. 1893
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Douglas1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew HavenIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLewistonIts storyC

Questions about Briggsville’s history

What year was Briggsville founded?

The Briggsville post office opened in 1856, 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 →
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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 Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.