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Hartford Wisconsin Downtown looking north WIS83Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0
B−History
History · Hartford

Hartford dates to 1844, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns · #207 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

Below: 21 old photos and papers, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1880.

1844founded
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
21old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hartford’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hartford began

When was Hartford founded?

1844

Hartford dates its founding to 1844 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,343 in 18802020 census: 3,400182 years

How historic is Hartford?

B−

More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Hartford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hartford is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #207 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hartford’s overall grade.
Founding era1844, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194010.7% of homes (±4.5) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 50%
NewerOlder
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 43%

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 Hartford’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1844.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.5 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Hartford’s past

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

Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1920 and 1950, then grew 6-fold.A town in old photos21 old photos, postcards and papers, 1911–1941.Mapped building by building6 fire insurance maps, 1887 to 1918, drew every building in Hartford.On the map since 19043 editions of the USGS map, 1904 to 1971. Watch Hartford change.
★ What stands out · People over time

Hartford, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000188019001920194019601980200020204,515 in 1920Low: 2,549

Lost a third of its people between 1920 and 1950, then grew 6-fold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

By decade

Hartford, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s12 items
1911 Hartford, Wisconsin High School19111911 Hartford, Wisconsin High SchoolRubicon River1911Rubicon RiverView of Hartford, Wis. south side1911View of Hartford, Wis. south sideKissel Motor Car Co1911Kissel Motor Car CoView of Hartford, Wis. north side1911View of Hartford, Wis. north sideView of Hartford, Wis. north side1911View of Hartford, Wis. north sideWaiting for the evening train1911Waiting for the evening trainBirds eye view1911Birds eye viewWheelock addition to city of Hartford showing results of 3 yrs. [years] growth1911Wheelock addition to city of Hartford showing results…C.M. & St. P. [i.e. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway] Depot1911C.M. & St. P. [i.e. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rai…View looking south from K.M.C. [Kissel Motor Car] Co.'s Tower1911View looking south from K.M.C. [Kissel Motor Car] Co.…Kissell Kar Truck1911Kissell Kar Truck
1940s9 items
Hartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of July1941Hartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of JulyHartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of July1941Hartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of JulyHartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of July1941Hartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of JulyHartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of July1941Hartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of JulyFourth of July afternoon1941Fourth of July afternoonFourth of July afternoon1941Fourth of July afternoonUntitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July afternoon1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July a…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July afternoon1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July a…Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July afternoon1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Fourth of July a…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
Hartford, WI, USA2009Hartford, WI, USAHartfordkisselfiretruck2008HartfordkisselfiretruckHartfordWisconsinWIS602007HartfordWisconsinWIS60Mainstreethartford2006MainstreethartfordWIMap-doton-Hartford b2005WIMap-doton-Hartford b
Every building

Hartford, building by building, 1887–1918

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.

Hartford fire insurance map, 1887, sheet 11887Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Hartford came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Hartford.

Read it all →

In the early 19th century, Hartford was inhabited by the Potawatomi and Menominee people, who had a trading post on the Rubicon River and a village on the eastern shore of Pike Lake. In 1831, the Menominee surrendered their claims to the land to the United States Federal Government through the Treaty of Washington, and the Potawatomi surrendered their land claims in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave the area by 1838. However, when the first White settlers arrived in 1843, they found that the Potawatomi were still living at the Pike Lake village. Some Native Americans remained in the area and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by White settlers. Eventually the Potawatomi who evaded…

ChaptersEarly history and settlementGrowth and industrializationHistoric landmarks

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Hartford, 1844 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1844
    FoundingHartford is established
  3. 1846Born hereSamuel S. Barney is born here
  4. 1872Born hereWilhelmine Key is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1904On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1911In the archive1911 Hartford, Wisconsin High School
  8. 1941In the archiveHartford, Wisconsin, Fourth of July
  9. 1987Born hereCurt Hansen is born here
  10. 1998Born hereQuinn Meinerz is born here
  11. 21st century
  12. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 15,626
On the map

Hartford on the map, 1904 to 1971

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

Hartford on the 1904 USGS mapHartford on the 1959 USGS mapHartford on the 1971 USGS map1904Hartford 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 Hartford.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1911 Hartford, Wisconsin High School
Retake this view1911 Hartford, Wisconsin High School, 1911

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Hartford’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

11 famous people were born in Hartford

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Q
Quinn MeinerzAmerican football player · b. 1998
Samuel S. BarneyAmerican politician · b. 1846
Wilhelmine KeyAmerican biologist · b. 1872
Curt HansenAmerican actor · b. 1987
J
James L. O'ConnorAmerican politician, Wisconsin · b. 1858
J
Jeremy UnertlPlayer of American and Canadian football · b. 1978
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Pike Lake

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Hartford’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1911 Hartford, Wisconsin High School: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

SlingerIts storyC+Erin1 historic placeB−RubiconIts storyB−Addison1 historic placeBPolkIts storyB

Questions about Hartford’s history

What year was Hartford founded?

In 1844, according to Wikidata. the census of 1880 counted 1,343 people here.

How does Hartford rank for history?

Hartford is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns, #207 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.

How old are the homes in Hartford?

11% of Hartford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1980.

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 (6), the Library of Congress (20), Wikidata (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.