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History · Francis Creek

Francis Creek’s post office opened in 1850, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1954 on and the census since 1970.

1850first post office
0on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Francis Creek began

When was Francis Creek founded?

1850

The Francis Creek post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Axelyn (1917), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 492 in 19702020 census: 659176 years
Founding year: the first Francis Creek post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Francis Creek’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Francis Creek are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Francis Creek’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Francis Creek’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Francis Creek came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Francis Creek.

Read it all →

A post office called Francis Creek was first established in 1850. The village took its name from nearby Francis Creek.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Francis Creek, 1850 to 1989

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850Post officeThe Francis Creek post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1904Post officeThe Francis Creek post office closes
  5. 1917Post officeThe Axelyn post office opens
  6. 1917Post officeThe Axelyn post office closes
  7. 1917Post officeThe Francis Creek post office opens
  8. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1989Born hereJulie Wojta is born here
By decade

Francis Creek, decade by decade

Today4 recent
Francis Creek Wisconsin Village Office2011Francis Creek Wisconsin Village OfficeFrancis Creek Wisconsin Downtown Looking North2011Francis Creek Wisconsin Downtown Looking NorthFrancisCreek12006FrancisCreek1FrancisCreek2006FrancisCreek
On the map

Francis Creek on the map, 1954 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Francis Creek. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Francis Creek on the 1954 USGS mapFrancis Creek on the 1978 USGS map1954Manitowoc 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 Francis Creek.

People over time

Francis Creek, census by census

0100200300400500600700198020002020Peak: 681

Between 492 and 681 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Francis Creek’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Francis Creek had its own post office from 1850 to 1904. Another post office, Axelyn, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Francis Creek
1850–1904
Axelyn
1917–1917
Francis Creek
1917–today
18501940today

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Francis Creek’s history

What year was Francis Creek founded?

The Francis Creek post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (4), 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) 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.