More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #319 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Dousman was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Dousman post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Dousman’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dousman is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #319 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dousman’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 Dousman’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 any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Dousman’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
A post office called Dousman has been in operation since 1856. Founded in 1881, the village was named for Talbot C. Dousman, a local farmer and businessman who helped bring the Chicago and North Western railroad to the area. The village was incorporated in 1917.
The village was once called "Bullfrog Station" because of the numerous bullfrogs in the area. The local baseball team is still called the Dousman Frogs and an annual frog jumping competition takes place during Dousman's Derby Days.
Passages that mention Dousman, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1880 · page 777Read the page →
Read the text
Dousman's Fish-Pond. — One of the many beautiful places peculiar to Waukesha County, of which the people are justly proud, is the trout pond of Dousman. To see this spot is to see one of the superlatively fine sights of the county. Here, in primitive retirement, surrounded by gently undulating forest-covered hills and dales, twenty or more splendid springs burst forth and pour their crystal streams into a basin or dam, covering an area of several acres. This dam constitutes at once the head of a fine stream, called the Scuppernong, an'd the present trout pond, and here, or in immediate connection with the dam, are the flumes, races, hatching-house, feed-mill, storage-rooms, hotel and various appliances required to propagate the fish and to
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1880 · page 776Read the page →
Read the text
Ottawa has at present but one grist-mill, and at one time there was a small saw-mill at what is now Dousman's fish-pond. The present mill was built by B. V. Knight, in 1859, on the Checoopenaw, on the land of T. C. Dousman. The mill has a single run of stone, with a feed-mill. The water head is small, not exceeding seven feet. The general machinery, waterwhee4 and all. are rather original in construction, being the work of a man not trained, apparently, as a millwright, but yet a very capable mechanic.
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
Dousman, 1856 to 1991
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Dousman post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Dousman rank for history?
Dousman is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #319 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.
How old are the homes in Dousman?
7% of Dousman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1991.
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 (10), 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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