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–Not graded
History · Caswell

Caswell dates to 1901, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1910.

1901founded
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Caswell began

When was Caswell founded?

1901

Caswell dates its founding to 1901 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 216 in 19102020 census: 72125 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1888.The full story ↓

What stands out about Caswell’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 Caswell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 798 in 1920; 72 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Caswell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Caswell’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
People over time

Caswell, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020Peak: 798

Peaked at 798 in 1920; 72 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Caswell’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Caswell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Caswell.

Read it all →

The Town of Caswell was created from land in the Town of Cavour by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature in 1901. The remainder of the Town of Cavour, which ceased to exist at that point, went to create the Town of Wabeno. The town was probably named after Lucien B. Caswell, who served in the Wisconsin Assembly as well as eight terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Caswell, 1888 to 1973

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888Post officeThe Cavour post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1901
    FoundingCaswell is established
  5. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 798
  6. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1973Post officeThe Cavour post office closes
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

Caswell on the map, 1972 to 1991

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

Caswell on the 1972 USGS mapCaswell on the 1991 USGS map1972Newald 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 Caswell.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Another post office, Cavour, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
CavourLaona Junction
Gone or out of use
Spur Number 250locale

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.

RossIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLaona2 historic placesA−Armstrong Creek2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townArgonneIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Caswell’s history

What year was Caswell founded?

In 1901, according to Wikidata. Caswell’s post office opened in 1888, and the census of 1910 counted 216 people here.

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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.