Greenville dates to 1848, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns · #154 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Greenville was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Its Register listings are the Greenville State Bank, the Kronser, Joseph, Hotel and Saloon and the South Greenville Grange No. 225. Below: maps from 1969 on.
How Greenville began, and where its name came from
When was Greenville founded?
1848
Greenville dates its founding to 1848 (Wikipedia’s history). Its post office opened in 1851.
178 years
How did Greenville get its name?
The town was founded in 1848 as Greenville Station, and changed its name to Becher in 1879 (named after the first postmaster, Anton Becher (1842-1931)).
More on the name
Its name was changed to Greenville in 1896.
How historic is Greenville?
B
More historic than 61% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenville is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #154 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 Greenville’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 Greenville’s 2.3 sits near the middle of its state (60% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±2.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1848.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Greenville’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town was founded in 1848 as Greenville Station, and changed its name to Becher in 1879 (named after the first postmaster, Anton
Becher (1842-1931)). Its name was changed to Greenville in 1896.
After an incorporation attempt was denied by the Wisconsin Incorporation Review Board, the town held a referendum for a partial incorporation in November 2020. The eastern half of the community incorporated as a village in January 2021, and annexed the remnant western half of the original town in June 2021. This makes it one of the largest villages in the State of Wisconsin by area and population.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Places that used to be
Places now gone and burying grounds
Greenville’s post office has been open since 1851.
Gone or out of use
Cedar Grove SchoolschoolElm Tree SchoolschoolHappy Valley SchoolschoolImmanuel SchoolschoolMedina PitminePleasant Corners SchoolschoolSunny Slope SchoolschoolSunny View Schoolschool
1cemetery inside Greenville
Wanderers Rest
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.
In 1848, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Greenville’s post office opened in 1851.
How does Greenville rank for history?
Greenville is more historic than 61% of U.S. towns, #154 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 Greenville?
Three places: the Greenville State Bank (listed 1982), the Kronser, Joseph, Hotel and Saloon (1988) and the South Greenville Grange No. 225 (2018).
How old are the homes in Greenville?
5% of Greenville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 2001.
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 (10), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
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