Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1890.
More historic than 37% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Deerfield is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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 Deerfield’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Deerfield’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Deerfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Deerfield.
From Wikipedia’s history of Deerfield.
A post office called Deerfield has been in operation since 1846. The village took its name from the Town of Deerfield.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Deerfield, cut from the printed page as they were published.
limits at the village of Cambridge, on Section 12, passes through the village of Clinton, on Sections 13, 24, 23, and thence through Sections 26, 25 and 36, into the town of Albion ; the Koshkonong Creek, in the southern part, which has its rise in small streams in the center of the town; and Mud Creek, which runs north into the town of Deerfield. Koshkonong prairie extends through the town from southwest to northeast and into the town of Deerfield. The northern portion of the town is marshy, with scattering oak openings ; the western part prairie and openings, with marsh on Koshkonong Creek and its tributaries ; the eastern part, openings and prairie.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
HAXS C. JACOBSOW, farmer. Sec. 10; P. 0. Cambridge; was born in Norway in 1839, and emigrated to Dane Co., Wis., with his parents in 1853; they located in the town of Christiana, where fchey afterward died. Our subject settled on a farm on Sec. 35, town of Deerfield, in 1863, and made that his home till 1872, when he bought a farm of 239i acres on Sec. 10, town of Christiana, and 40 acres on Sec. 34, town of Deerfield ; he has since resided on Sec. 10, town of Christiana. He enlisted in Co. I, 49th W. V. I., in February, 1865, under Col. Fellows, of Milwaukee, and served with his regiment in the Army of the West, until mustered out at Benton Barracks in October, 1865. He was married, in Christiana, in 1872, to Miss Johanna Olson, a native of Norway, and who came to Wisconsin 1870 ; their
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The Township of Deerfield lies on the eastern border of Dane county, in township 7 north, of range 12 east. The town is very well watered by Koshkonong creek, which enters the town on the west line, runs easterly and empties into what is known as Krogh's Mill Po?id} a large body of water which covers a portion of six sections of land. Mud creek enters the town on the south line, and run¬ ning north empties into this pond — large enough in area to be called a lake. Goose Lake lies in the northeast comer on sections 1, 2, 11 and 12.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Grew from 338 people in 1890 to 2,507 in 2020, 7 times over.
14 censuses, 1890–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Deerfield’s Wikipedia page.
Another post office, London, opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Deerfield is more historic than 37% 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.
14% of Deerfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.1 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1984.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (6), 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 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.
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