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A−History
History · Genesee

Genesee’s post office opened in 1847, and 8 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #93 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

Most of Genesee was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Ten Chimneys, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 17 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1892 on and the census since 1980.

1847first post office
8on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Genesee began

When was Genesee founded?

1847

The Genesee post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, South Genesee (1850) and Saylesville (1894), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 5,126 in 19802020 census: 7,171179 years

How historic is Genesee?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Genesee post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Genesee’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Genesee is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #93 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Genesee’s overall grade.
Founding era1847, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19407.3% of homes (±3.2) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register8 listings, 38 historic buildings, 52.8 per 10,000 residents · typical WI town 3.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 75%

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 Genesee’s 52.8 sits above most of its state (89% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 38 historic buildings outnumber those of 83% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 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 Genesee’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 Genesee are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18924 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1971. Watch Genesee change.A National Historic Landmark8 places on the National Register, including Ten Chimneys, a National Historic Landmark.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Genesee, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Genesee’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Genesee’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
On the map

Genesee on the map, 1892 to 1971

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

Genesee on the 1892 USGS mapGenesee on the 1906 USGS mapGenesee on the 1960 USGS mapGenesee on the 1971 USGS map1892Eagle 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 Genesee.

On the National Register

8 listings protect 38 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
8
National Historic Landmark
1
Ten Chimneys
historic buildings protected
38
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
J. C. Booth House
Genesee Town HallTen Chimneys, built 1915Owen and Margaret Oliver HouseJ. C. Booth HouseJohnston, William, Lime KilnSaylesville Historic DistrictGenesee Woolen Mill SiteTen Chimneys, built 1915★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian2
Italianate2
Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals1
Mid-19th Century1
Queen Anne1
★ Landmark
Ten ChimneysBuilt 1915
Genesee Town HallBuilding
Ten ChimneysLate 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals · Built 1915
Owen and Margaret Oliver HouseLate Victorian
All 8 listings
J. C. Booth HouseBuilding · listed 1973Johnston, William, Lime KilnStructure · listed 1982Saylesville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003Genesee Woolen Mill SiteDistrict · listed 2017

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

The story so far

Genesee, in brief

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

Genesee is a town in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,171 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Bethesda, Genesee, Genesee Depot, and Saylesville are in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1847. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 7,340 to 7,171 (-2%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Genesee in 1880

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

I sold my interest in the northeast quarter of Section 19 to James Meader, and moved to the town of Eagle in September, 1843. I removed from the town of Eagle to the town of Genesee in October, 1849, where I have resided ever since. I think there is not a single white person living now in the town …
The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1880 · page 493Read the page →
Read the text

I sold my interest in the northeast quarter of Section 19 to James Meader, and moved to the town of Eagle in September, 1843. I removed from the town of Eagle to the town of Genesee in October, 1849, where I have resided ever since. I think there is not a single white person living now in the town of Mukwonago, Eagle, Genesee and Ottawa, who were living there when Joseph Smart and myself first claimed our land in the town of Mukwonago. If there are any now living in either of these towns. I should be very glad to meet them.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
By an act of the Legislature approved March 8, 1839, the town of Genesee was made ta comprise the present towns of Genesee, Eagle and Ottawa. By an act approved March 21, 1843, the present town boundaries were established.
The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1880 · page 741Read the page →
Read the text

By an act of the Legislature approved March 8, 1839, the town of Genesee was made ta comprise the present towns of Genesee, Eagle and Ottawa. By an act approved March 21, 1843, the present town boundaries were established.

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

Genesee, 1847 to 2003

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1847Post officeThe Genesee post office opens
  3. 1850Post officeThe South Genesee post office opens
  4. 1860Post officeThe Genesee Depot post office opens
  5. 1865Post officeThe South Genesee post office closes
  6. 1874Born herePhil H. Jones is born here
  7. 1892On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1915BuiltTen Chimneys is built
  10. 1915BuiltTen Chimneys is built
  11. 1921Post officeThe Genesee post office closes
  12. 21st century
  13. 2003LandmarkTen Chimneys named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Genesee, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Genesee2026GeneseeSaint Pauls Cemetery2025Saint Pauls CemeteryPrairie Springs Environmental Education Center2025Prairie Springs Environmental Education CenterLunt-Fontanne Nature Center2025Lunt-Fontanne Nature CenterGenesee Town Park2025Genesee Town ParkGenesee Oak Opening And Fen State Natural Area2025Genesee Oak Opening And Fen State Natural AreaGenesee Cemetery2025Genesee CemeteryBrandy Brook2025Brandy BrookSunset Park (1)2024Sunset Park (1)The Booth House2016The Booth HouseOwen and Margaret Oliver House2014Owen and Margaret Oliver HouseGenesee Town Hall2014Genesee Town Hall
People over time

Genesee, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,000198020002020Peak: 7,340

Between 5,126 and 7,340 people in every census since 1980.

5 censuses, 1980–2020.

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

Places that used to be

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

Genesee had its own post office from 1847 to 1921. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Genesee
1847–1921
South Genesee
1850–1865
Genesee Depot
1860–today
Saylesville
1894–1895
18401930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BethesdaGenesee DepotSaylesville
Gone or out of use
Bartell Stripairport
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Genesee
Genesee VillageOak KnollSaint Pauls

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.

WalesIts storyCNorth PrairieIts storyCMukwonagoIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaukesha1 historic placeB−OttawaIts storyBDelafield1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Genesee’s history

What year was Genesee founded?

The Genesee post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Genesee rank for history?

Genesee is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #93 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 Genesee?

8 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Ten Chimneys (a National Historic Landmark since 2003) and the J. C. Booth House (listed 1973, the first), 2 historic districts, the Saylesville Historic District and the Genesee Woolen Mill Site, with 17 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 38 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Genesee?

7% of Genesee’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1981.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (8), 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.