–Not graded

History · Freedom

Freedom’s post office opened in 1850, and 48% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Steam Locomotive #1385 and the Freedom Mine. Below: maps from 1901 on and old-book passages.

1850first post office

2on the National Register

48%homes built before 1940

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Quick answers

How Freedom began

When was Freedom founded?

1850

The Freedom post office opened in 1850, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 449176 years

Founding year: the first Freedom post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Freedom’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 Freedom are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19013 editions of the USGS map, 1901 to 1975. Watch Freedom change.

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Start Freedom’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

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On the map

Freedom on the map, 1901 to 1975

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

1901Denzer 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 Freedom.

The story so far

Freedom, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Freedom yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

The Town of Freedom is a located in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 449 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of La Rue is located within the town. The town was named from the American ideal of freedom.

Its first post office opened in 1850. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 447 in 2010, 449 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Freedom in 1880

Passages that mention Freedom, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The present town of Freedom was originally embraced in the towns of Brooklyn, Eagle and Prairie du Sac. On the 11th of December, 1850, an alteration of the boundaries of the town of Brooklyn was authorized, the town of Eagle being wiped out and the town of Freedom created. A complete set of town of… — **The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ... the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin**1880Read the page →
Read the text
The present town of Freedom was originally embraced in the towns of Brooklyn, Eagle and Prairie du Sac. On the 11th of December, 1850, an alteration of the boundaries of the town of Brooklyn was authorized, the town of Eagle being wiped out and the town of Freedom created. A complete set of town officers seems to have been chosen April 3, 1849. The Supervisors were James Christ (Chairman), J. W. Hentham and Reuben Ward ; Town Clerk, L.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

The present town of Freedom was originally embraced in the towns of Brooklyi . and Prairie du Sac. On the 11th of December, L850, an alteration of the boundaries of the town of Brooklyn was authorized, the town of Eagle being wiped out and the town of Freedom created. A complete set of town officer… — **The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ..**1880 · page 623Read the page →
Read the text
The present town of Freedom was originally embraced in the towns of Brooklyi . and Prairie du Sac. On the 11th of December, L850, an alteration of the boundaries of the town of Brooklyn was authorized, the town of Eagle being wiped out and the town of Freedom created. A complete set of town officers seems to have been chosen April 3, 1849. The Supervisors were Jane- Christ (Chairman), -1. W. Hentham and Reuben Ward: Town Clerk. !..
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

In January, 1857, Town 13, Range 2, was set off from the town of Marston, the new town being called Woodland. In December of the same year, the town of Troy was organized out of the towns of Honey Creek and Spring Green. The organization of the town of Excelsior bears the same date, it having been … — **The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ..**1880 · page 341Read the page →
Read the text
In January, 1857, Town 13, Range 2, was set off from the town of Marston, the new town being called Woodland. In December of the same year, the town of Troy was organized out of the towns of Honey Creek and Spring Green. The organization of the town of Excelsior bears the same date, it having been formed out of the towns of Dellona and Freedom. The territory of the town of Freedom was further abridged, about this time, by Sections 19, 20. 2'.', 30, 31 and 32 being attached to the town of Baraboo.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Passage from The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ... the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin that mentions Freedom — **The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ... the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin**1880Read the page →

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Freedom, 1850 to 1901

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

19th century
1850Post officeThe Freedom post office opens
1852Post officeThe Freedom post office closes
20th century
1901On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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On the National Register

2 historic places in Freedom

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed

National Historic Landmarks

none yet

historic buildings protected

each building in a district counts

first listed

2000

Steam Locomotive #1385

SitesStructures

Architectural styles listings

Steam Locomotive1

Steam Locomotive #1385Steam Locomotive

All 2 listings

Freedom MineSite · listed 2020

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Freedom

Nobody well known was born in Freedom itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →

August DerlethAmerican novelist, short story writer, poet, ed… · b. 1909

Warren WeaverAmerican mathematician · b. 1894

Alexander WetmoreAmerican ornithologist and avian paleontologist · b. 1886

Stuart PalmerAmerican writer · b. 1905

Marga RichterAmerican composer · b. 1926

Timothy MahrAmerican musician · b. 1956

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Freedom had its own post office from 1850 to 1852.

Freedom

1850–1852

18501940today

Hamlets and corners on the map

LaRue

Gone or out of use

Diamond Hill SchoolschoolFlying b AirportairportHappy Hill SchoolschoolMaple Hill Schoolschool

1cemetery inside Freedom

Maple Hill

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

North FreedomIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Baraboo3 historic placesA WestfieldIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town Honey Creek3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town SumpterIts storyC ExcelsiorIts storyC⁺

Questions about Freedom’s history

What year was Freedom founded?

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

What is on the National Register in Freedom?

Two places: the Steam Locomotive #1385 (listed 2000) and the Freedom Mine (2020).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →

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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 the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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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