Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Cobb

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
–Not graded
History · Cobb

Cobb’s post office opened in 1863, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1910.

1863first post office
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Cobb began

When was Cobb founded?

1863

The Cobb post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 230 in 19102020 census: 480163 years
Founding year: the first Cobb post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Cobb’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 Cobb 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 1984. Watch Cobb change.Old housesHalf of Cobb’s homes were built before 1964.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cobb’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cobb’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

Cobb on the map, 1902 to 1984

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

Cobb on the 1902 USGS mapCobb on the 1952 USGS mapCobb on the 1984 USGS map1902Mineral Point sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cobb.

The story

How Cobb came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cobb.

Read it all →

A post office called Cobb has been in operation since 1863. The village was named for Amasa Cobb, a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cobb, 1863 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Post officeThe Cobb post office opens
  3. 1880Born hereWilliam H. Goldthorpe is born here
  4. 20th century
  5. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1965Born hereTodd Novak is born here
  7. 1970Born hereGreg Gard is born here
By decade

Cobb, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Three Silos - panoramio (1)2013Three Silos - panoramio (1)Ritchie Implement ll2013Ritchie Implement llRitchie Implement l2013Ritchie Implement lMontfort Wind Turbines2013Montfort Wind TurbinesDairy Farm near2013Dairy Farm nearCobb Welcome Sign2013Cobb Welcome SignCobb United Methodist Church2013Cobb United Methodist ChurchPeace Lutheran Church2012Peace Lutheran ChurchCobbWisconsinSignUS182009CobbWisconsinSignUS18CobbWisconsinSignPanoramaUS182009CobbWisconsinSignPanoramaUS18CobbWisconsin1US182009CobbWisconsin1US18Cobb Tower2009Cobb Tower
People over time

Cobb, census by census

0100200300400500192019401960198020002020480

Grew from 230 people in 1910 to 480 in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Cobb

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

See all →
Todd NovakAmerican newspaper editor and politician · b. 1965
Greg GardAmerican basketball coach · b. 1970
William H. GoldthorpeMember of the Wisconsin State Assembly · b. 1880

Questions about Cobb’s history

What year was Cobb founded?

The Cobb post office opened in 1863, 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 →
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 Wikimedia Commons (12), 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) 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.