On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Herman is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Herman’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 Herman’s 28.8 sits above most of its state (85% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 6 historic buildings outnumber those of 72% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.7 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Herman’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Edwards
1854–1902
Ada
1868–1909
Franklin
1870–1909
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AdaEdwardsFranklin
Gone or out of use
Franklin SchoolschoolPinehurst Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Herman
Saint JohnSaint Joseph's CatholicTrinity Lutheran
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Herman, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Herman yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Herman is a town in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,162 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Sheboygan Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to Lakeland University.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 2,151 in 2010, 2,162 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Herman in 1912
Passages that mention Herman, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, past and present1912Read the page →
Read the text
ganization by the election of William Wipperman as chairman, and Robert Athorp, town clerk. Mosel is situated in the extreme northeast comer of the county and is bounded on the east by Lake Michigan, north by Manitowoc county, west by the town of Herman and south by the town of Sheboygan. It is watered by small streams flowing in an easterly direction, emptying into the lake. It may be stated typographically the surface of the town is gently rolling. The soil is very fertile and consists of a rich clay loam and in the days when the county became noted for the production of its
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 76Read the page →
Read the text
"In 1847 a group of several families from Hameln settled in Herman town and about a hundred families from Lippe Detmold, under the leadership of Frederick Reineking, took up lands in various parts of this and Manitowoc counties. The western part of Herman, the eastern part of Rhine, the neighborhood of Johnsonville and the village of Sheboygan became their homes. Others from this same region continued to come for the next five years. The first settlers were poor and were compelled to work in the sawmills. They bought government lands and mortgaged them.
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
Herman, 1854 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Herman is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns. 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 Herman?
Two places: the Mission House Historic District (listed 1984) and the Franklin Feed Mill (1985).
How old are the homes in Herman?
41% of Herman’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 (2), Wikidata (2), 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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