On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Delmar is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Delmar’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 Delmar’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.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.6 points).
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 →
What stands out about Delmar’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The outlines of the 6-mile squares that would become the Town of Delmar were first surveyed in the fall of 1848 by crews working for the U.S. government. In November 1849 a crew marked all the section lines of the eastern six by six square, walking the woods and swamps on foot, measuring with chain and compass. When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description of the eastern 6-mile square:
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Maple Hill
Gone or out of use
Black Creek Valley SchoolschoolDelmar Center SchoolschoolEast River SchoolschoolExcelsior SchoolschoolMaple Hill SchoolschoolMcKinley SchoolschoolOtter Creek SchoolschoolVictory Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Delmar
EvergreenWalker-Jackson
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.
Delmar is more historic than 63% 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.
How old are the homes in Delmar?
34% of Delmar’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.6 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1960.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
