On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brigham is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brigham’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 Brigham’s 8.7 sits above most of its state (74% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.8 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Brigham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Jennieton
1856–1881
Middlebury
1867–1900
Barber
1872–1898
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Middlebury
Gone or out of use
Barnveld QuarrymineDesmet Airportairport
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Brigham
BethelJenneton BaptistJennetonWhite Church
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Brigham, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Brigham yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
The Town of Brigham is a town located in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,037 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Middlebury is located in the town. The village of Barneveld is surrounded by the town's limits.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,034 in 2010, 1,037 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Brigham, 1856 to 1923
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Brigham is more historic than 78% 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.
What is on the National Register in Brigham?
One place: the Thomas Stone Barn (listed 2001).
How old are the homes in Brigham?
21% of Brigham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 (2), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
2013
2004
