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A−History
History · De Pere

De Pere’s post office opened in 1837, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #64 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

19 places in town are on the National Register, among them eight historic districts with 282 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.

1837first post office
19on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From De Pere’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How De Pere began

When was De Pere founded?

1837

The De Pere post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1857. Another post office, West De Pere (1875), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 508 in 18602020 census: 25,410189 years

How historic is De Pere?

A−

More historic than 85% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first De Pere post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1857.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives De Pere’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, De Pere is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #64 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of De Pere’s overall grade.
Founding era1837, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.0% of homes (±3.2) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register19 listings, 298 historic buildings, 118 per 10,000 residents · typical WI town 3.0 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 85%
NewerOlder
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 83%

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 De Pere’s 118 sits above most of its state (95% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 298 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1857.

Founding year: the first post office (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 De Pere’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe North Michigan Street-North Superior Street Historic District takes in 104 historic buildings.Landmarks on the Register19 places on the National Register.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1884 to 1914, drew every building in De Pere.Deep rootsA post office since 1837: 189 years of De Pere.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

19 listings protect 298 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
19
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
298
each building in a district counts
first listed
1983
North Broadway Street Historic District
North Broadway Street Historic DistrictMain HallLawton, C. A., Company, built 1879De Pere Lock and Dam Historic DistrictDe Pere Public Library, built 1937Union House Hotel, built 1883Randall Avenue Historic DistrictNorth Michigan Street-North Superior Street Historic DistrictOtto and Hilda Gretzinger House, built 1915Steckart and Falck Double Block, built 1888John Baeten Store, built 1903Edwin and Jennie Gutknecht House, built 1913Henry and Mary Heyrman House, built 1903South Broadway Historic DistrictMain Avenue Historic DistrictMansion Street WWII Defense Housing Historic DistrictDaviswood Ranch Homes Historic DistrictAgnes and Ruth Lenfestey Mark Lenfestey HouseEdward F. and Jean Kohl House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival4
Queen Anne3
Italianate3
Late Victorian3
Tudor Revival2
Classical Revival2
North Broadway Street Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Main HallRomanesque
Lawton, C. A., CompanyItalianate · Built 1879
De Pere Lock and Dam Historic DistrictLock
De Pere Public LibraryTudor Revival · Built 1937
Union House HotelLate Victorian · Built 1883
Randall Avenue Historic DistrictColonial Revival
North Michigan Street-North Superior Street Historic DistrictQueen Anne
All 19 listings
Otto and Hilda Gretzinger HouseBuilding · listed 2011Steckart and Falck Double BlockBuilding · listed 2011John Baeten StoreBuilding · listed 2014Edwin and Jennie Gutknecht HouseBuilding · listed 2015Henry and Mary Heyrman HouseBuilding · listed 2015South Broadway Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010Main Avenue Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2010Mansion Street WWII Defense Housing Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Daviswood Ranch Homes Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2021Agnes and Ruth Lenfestey Mark Lenfestey HouseBuilding · listed 2023Edward F. and Jean Kohl HouseBuilding · listed 2023

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

De Pere, building by building, 1884–1914

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.

De Pere fire insurance map, 1884, sheet 41884Sheet 4 of 5
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How De Pere came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of De Pere.

Read it all →

When the first European, Jean Nicolet, visited the place in 1634–35, De Pere was the site of a polyglot settlement of several thousand attracted by the fishing at the first rapids of the Fox River. In 1671, French Jesuit explorer Père Claude-Jean Allouez founded the St. Francis Xavier Mission at the last set of rapids on the Fox River before it enters The Bay of Green Bay. The site was known as Rapides Des Pères (rapids of the fathers) which became modern day De Pere.

ChaptersRegistered historic places

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about De Pere in 1913

Passages that mention De Pere, cut from the printed page as they were published.

in what is now New Denmark, Brown county, when that district was still a wilderness and part of De Pere. He and his family were the first settlers in the district and when it was set apart from De Pere they named the little town which they founded after their native country. The father became one o…
History of Brown County, Wisconsin, past and present1913 · page 339Read the page →
Read the text

in what is now New Denmark, Brown county, when that district was still a wilderness and part of De Pere. He and his family were the first settlers in the district and when it was set apart from De Pere they named the little town which they founded after their native country. The father became one of the leading citizens of New Denmark and held at various times practically all the township offices. He died February 22, 1894, at the age of eighty years. His wife lived until April 12, 1898, her death occurring when she was seventy-six years of age, and she is buried beside her husband

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
He resided on the farm until July, 1855, when he removed to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in business until 1S58, at which time he returned to Wisconsin, locating at De Pere where he had large interests, having purchased, in June, 1854. from Joshua F. Cox, an undivided half interest in t…
History of Brown County, Wisconsin, past and present1913 · page 532Read the page →
Read the text

He resided on the farm until July, 1855, when he removed to Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in business until 1S58, at which time he returned to Wisconsin, locating at De Pere where he had large interests, having purchased, in June, 1854. from Joshua F. Cox, an undivided half interest in the town of De Pere, and also purchased the water power created by the dam at De Pere as well as the riparian rights on both sides of the river. He was president of the little band of men which helped to organize the Fox River Bank at Green Bay and was one of the founders of the Fox & Wis-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

De Pere, 1837 to 1984

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1837Post officeThe De Pere post office opens
  3. 1875Post officeThe West De Pere post office opens
  4. 1879BuiltLawton, C. A., Company is built
  5. 1883BuiltUnion House Hotel is built
  6. 1898In the archiveDe Pere, Wis., view across river
  7. 20th century
  8. 1900Born hereRobert J. Havighurst is born here
  9. 1908Born hereWilson Charles is born here
  10. 1915BuiltOtto and Hilda Gretzinger House is built
  11. 1937BuiltDe Pere Public Library is built
  12. 1949Born hereTerry Meeuwsen is born here
  13. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 1971Post officeThe West De Pere post office closes
  15. 1984Born hereAnne Horak Gallagher is born here
By decade

De Pere, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s2 items
De Pere, Wis., view across river1898De Pere, Wis., view across riverDe Pere, Wis., view across river1898De Pere, Wis., view across river
1900s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Date unknown5 to date
DePere Lock & Dam, Fox River at James StreetDate?DePere Lock & Dam, Fox River at James StreetDePere Lock & Dam, Lock Shelter, Near Upper GateDate?DePere Lock & Dam, Lock Shelter, Near Upper GateDePere Lock & Dam, Garage, Approximately 35 feet Southeast of Lock ShelterDate?DePere Lock & Dam, Garage, Approximately 35 feet Sout…DePere Lock & Dam, Storage Building, Approximately 50 feet Northwest of Lock ShelterDate?DePere Lock & Dam, Storage Building, Approximately 50…DePere Lock & Dam, Lockkeeper's Residence, Approximately 80 feet Southwest of upstream entrance to LockDate?DePere Lock & Dam, Lockkeeper's Residence, Approximat…
Today30 recent
Graystone Ale House taps2017Graystone Ale House taps21 Gun Roadhouse201721 Gun Roadhouse21 Gun Roadhouse bar201721 Gun Roadhouse barWest end of the Main Avenue Historic District2016West end of the Main Avenue Historic DistrictSteckart and Falck Double Block2016Steckart and Falck Double BlockState Bank of De Pere building in 20162016State Bank of De Pere building in 2016Julius Krause Store Building2016Julius Krause Store BuildingJohn Baeten Store2016John Baeten StoreIrwin School2016Irwin SchoolA Chicago and North Western E7A with The Commuter 400 at De Pere, WI in September 1963. Roger added, "Dad, (sister) Pam…2016A Chicago and North Western E7A with The Commuter 400…436 Randall Avenue, Randall Avenue Historic District2016436 Randall Avenue, Randall Avenue Historic DistrictHeyrman House NRHP 14001230 Brown County, WI2015Heyrman House NRHP 14001230 Brown County, WIGutknecht House NRHP 14001229 Brown County, WI2015Gutknecht House NRHP 14001229 Brown County, WIDe Pere Public Library Mar 20142014De Pere Public Library Mar 2014Lawrence Tower2009Lawrence TowerDePereWisconsinWaterTower2009DePereWisconsinWaterTowerDePerePublicLibraryJan2009North2009DePerePublicLibraryJan2009NorthDePerePublicLibraryJan2009East2009DePerePublicLibraryJan2009EastDe Pere Tower 22009De Pere Tower 2De Pere Tower 12009De Pere Tower 1CALawtonCoWest20092009CALawtonCoWest2009WisconsinHighway32BridgeFoxRiver2008WisconsinHighway32BridgeFoxRiverWisconsinRusticRoad462007WisconsinRusticRoad46DePereWisconsinSign22007DePereWisconsinSign2DePereWisconsinSign12007DePereWisconsinSign1DePereWisconsinDowntown2007DePereWisconsinDowntownDePereWisconsinCityHall2007DePereWisconsinCityHallDePereWIS32WIS572007DePereWIS32WIS57BroadwayHistoricDistrictHomeDePereWisconsinWIS572007BroadwayHistoricDistrictHomeDePereWisconsinWIS57Laura Bush purchases chocolates at Seroogy's in2006Laura Bush purchases chocolates at Seroogy's in
On the map

De Pere on the map, 1954 to 1992

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

De Pere on the 1954 USGS mapDe Pere on the 1971 USGS mapDe Pere on the 1982 USGS mapDe Pere on the 1992 USGS map1954De Pere 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 De Pere.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

De Pere, Wis., view across river
Retake this viewDe Pere, Wis., view across river, 1898

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on De Pere’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

De Pere, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00019001950200025,410

Grew from 508 people in 1860 to 25,410 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in De Pere

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

See all →
R
Robert J. HavighurstAmerican chemist, physicist, and expert on huma… · b. 1900
T
Terry MeeuwsenAmerican television personality, author, and si… · b. 1949
Wilson CharlesAmerican decathlete · b. 1908
A
Anne Horak GallagherAmerican actress · b. 1984
Arthur J. AltmeyerUnited States Chairman of the Social Security B… · b. 1891
E
Earl GilsonAmerican politician · b. 1923
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

De Pere’s post office has been open since 1837. Another post office, West De Pere, opened and closed inside today’s town.

De Pere
1837–today
West De Pere
1875–1971
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
River View Mobile Home ParkWest De Pere
Gone or out of use
Abbot Pennings High SchoolschoolLawrence SchoolschoolSaint Boniface SchoolschoolSaint Josephs Schoolschool
1cemetery inside De Pere
Mount Olivet

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start De Pere’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how De Pere’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo5 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewDe Pere, Wis., view across river: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

LedgeviewIts storyC−AshwaubenonIts storyD−Lawrence1 historic placeCRocklandIts storyCAllouez15 historic placesA−

Questions about De Pere’s history

What year was De Pere founded?

The De Pere post office opened in 1837, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1857.

How does De Pere rank for history?

De Pere is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #64 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 De Pere?

19 listings: 11 buildings and 8 historic districts with 282 contributing buildings. 298 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in De Pere?

10% of De Pere’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1985.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (30), the Library of Congress (7), Wikidata (15), the National Register of Historic Places (19), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.