Chilton dates to 1845, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #59 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Calumet County Courthouse and the Chilton Post Office. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Chilton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chilton is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #59 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 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 Chilton’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 Chilton’s 4.9 sits above most of its state (66% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1845.
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Chilton’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
Chilton’s post office has been open since 1854. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Stantonville
1851–1854
Chilton
1854–today
Gravesville
1860–1904
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Gravesville
Gone or out of use
Saint Augustine Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Chilton
HillsideSaint Mary's
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Every building
Chilton, building by building, 1892–1914
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The first residents of Chilton were African-American former slave Moses Stanton and his Native-American wife, Catherine, who arrived in January 1845. The city formed around his saw mill and a grist mill a few years later.
The village was originally called Stantonville. John Marygold bought the place in 1852 and, according to legend, called it "Chilington," referring to Chillington Hall in England. He sent a verbal message to have the name change recorded in Stockbridge, then the county seat. Because the middle ing in the name was accidentally omitted, the municipality was recorded as Chilton.
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.
In 1845, according to Wikidata. Chilton’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1870 counted 363 people here.
How does Chilton rank for history?
Chilton is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #59 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Chilton?
Two places: the Calumet County Courthouse (listed 1982) and the Chilton Post Office (2000).
How old are the homes in Chilton?
28% of Chilton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1968.
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 (7), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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