Fitchburg’s post office opened in 1842, and 6 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #161 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Fitchburg was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 13 buildings. Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1990.
The Fitchburg post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Lakeview (1848), Stoners Prairie (1851) and Syene (1864), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 15,648 in 19902020 census: 29,609184 years
How historic is Fitchburg?
B
More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Fitchburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fitchburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fitchburg is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #161 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fitchburg’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 Fitchburg’s 6.1 sits above most of its state (68% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 20 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. 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 Fitchburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
John Stoner began farming in what would become Fitchburg in 1837. Immigrant brothers William, George and Joseph Vroman from the Netherlands are claimed to be the first permanent settlers in 1839. Established as the Town of Greenfield in 1847, the name was changed to Fitchburg in 1853 to avoid confusion with Greenfield, Milwaukee County. The name Fitchburg was chosen by Ebenezer Brigham, after Fitchburg, Massachusetts. A significant number of Irish families settled in Fitchburg as well.
Passages that mention Fitchburg, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Dane County, Wisconsin ... preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the Constitution of the United States1880 · page 1253Read the page →
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in April, 1837. The present site of jyiadison was then in a state of nature. In July, 1837, he made a second trip, and at once began work on the capitol building. He afterward worked as engineer in a steam saw-mill, and, in 1839, bought and settled upon an 80 on Sec. 35, town of Madison, and was the first settler south of the settlement. Has resided in Madison and Fitchburg Townships since this time as a farmer. Mr. Bird is a Democrat ; was formerly one of the County Supervisors ; was Chairman of the town of Madison one term ; Chairman of Fitchburg several terms, and has held various minor positions .
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Dane County, Wisconsin ... preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the Constitution of the United States1880 · page 868Read the page →
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By an act of the Territorial Legislature, approved February 11, 1847, Township 6 north, of Ranges 10 and 11 east, were constituted a separate town called Rome, while Township 6 north, of Range 9 east (the present Fitchburg), was erected into a town by itaelfj and called Greenfield, the name, however, by an act of April 2, 1853, being changed to Fitchburg. When Rome was erected, in 1846, the first town meeting was held at the house of William Quivey, within the present limits of Fitchburg ; so, also, when Greenfield was erected, in 1847, the first election was held at the same place. At this election, in April, the following officers were elected : Joseph Vroman, Chairman ; Stephen Varnol and George L. Dike, Supervisora;
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 456Read the page →
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FITCHBUKO — BT WTLUAlC VBQMAir_ Town 6j range 9j town of Fitchburg, is gitnaled il the central and southern part of Dane eonntr, boanded north by the town of Madison^ west br ihe towa of Verona, south by the town of Oregon, and east by the town of Dunn. It is one of the beat agricoltunl towns in the county, with very little or no waste lands, about equally divided between prairie and oak
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A history of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin1874 · page 400Read the page →
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The Township of Fitchburg, formerly known as Greenfield, is situated in the south central part of the county, known as town 6 north, of range 9 east.
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
Fitchburg, 1842 to 1952
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Fitchburg post office opened in 1842, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fitchburg rank for history?
Fitchburg is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #161 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 Fitchburg?
6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the McCoy Farmhouse (listed 1980, the first), and 1 historic district, the Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls, with 13 contributing buildings. 20 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fitchburg?
2% of Fitchburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1996.
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 (8), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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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