Fort Atkinson’s post office opened in 1839, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #24 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
9 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 84 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: the first Fort Atkinson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fort Atkinson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fort Atkinson is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #24 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Atkinson’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 Fort Atkinson’s 78.6 sits above most of its state (92% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 98 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.4 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 Fort Atkinson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Atkinson. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Koshkonong sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort Atkinson.
On the National Register
9 listings protect 98 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Fort Atkinson was named after General Henry Atkinson, the commander of U.S. forces in the area during the Black Hawk War (1832) against a mixed band of Sauk, Meskwaki and Kickapoo peoples. The city developed at the site of Fort Koshkonong, which was used during that war. A replica of the original 1832 stockade has been built just outside town, although not at the original site. The fort was located to control the confluence of the Rock and Bark rivers.
The settlement grew rapidly in the mid-19th century, after the migration of pioneers from the east, especially New York State and the northern tier. They were among the many migrants carrying New England Yankee culture west across the northern tier of states.
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.
The Fort Atkinson post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fort Atkinson rank for history?
Fort Atkinson is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #24 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 Fort Atkinson?
9 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Eli May House (listed 1972, the first), 2 historic districts, the Main Street Historic District and the Merchants Avenue Historic District, with 84 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 98 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Fort Atkinson?
23% of Fort Atkinson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1964.
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 (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
