Founding year: the first Hustisford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Hustisford’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hustisford is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. All 3 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 Hustisford’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 Hustisford’s 9.9 sits above most of its state (76% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±12.5 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 Hustisford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hustisford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Hustisford is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,101 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the town of Hustisford.
Its first post office opened in 1847. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,123 in 2010, 1,101 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Hustisford in 1880
Passages that mention Hustisford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing ... its early settlement, growth ... an extensive and minute sketch of its cities ... war record, biographical sketches1880 · page 410Read the page →
Read the text
" The first settlement of the town of Hustisford was made in 1844, by one Beardsley, who located himself on the Wild Cat, where John W. Cole afterward laid off his addition to the village of Hustisford. In June, 1845, Mr. Hustis commenced the erection of a tree-dam across the Rock River, under a charter procured from the Legislature, but the graveling of the dam was not completed by his contractor, Harvey Butler, until the following year. During the spring and summer of 1845, tlie fine character of the maple-timbered land east of Rock River, and oak openings and small prairies on the west side of this town, attracted the attention of settlers, and Messrs. Sybrant Hall, Daniel Fletcher, William
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc1880 · page 410Read the page →
Read the text
" The first settlement of the town of Hustisford was made in 1844, by one Beardsley, who located himself on the Wild Cat, where John W. Cole afterward laid off his addition to the village of Hustisford. In June, 1845, Mr. Hustis commenced the erection of a tree-dam across the Rock River, under a charter procured from the Legislature, but the graveling of the dam was not completed by his contractor, Harvey Butler, until the following year. During the spring and summer of 1845, the fine character of the maple-timbered land east of Rock River, and oak openings and small prairies on the west side of thia town, attracted the attention of settlers, and Messrs. Sybrant Hall, Daniel Fletcher, William
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc1880 · page 313Read the page →
Read the text
Kekoskee and May ville, in the town of Williamstown, and Theresa, in the town of Theresa,, have their dams and water-wheels and mills and factories. Hustisford, however, may be considered the most favored point on Rock River within the limits of Dodge County at the present time. In the town of Rubicon, saw and grist mills are supplied with power from the Rubicon River at several points, while Ashippun River, as it passes through the southeastern corner of the town of Ashippun, is utilized in the same manner. Rock River passes out of Dodge County in Section 36, town of Lebanon, but returns, as if loath to leave so beautiful a spot, and makes its force felt again (in the town of Emmet) before winding its weary way to the mother stream. The
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing ... its early settlement, growth ... an extensive and minute sketch of its cities ... war record, biographical sketches1880 · page 313Read the page →
Read the text
Kekoskee and May ville, in the town of Williamstown, and Theresa, in the town of Theresa, have their dams and water-wheels and mills and factories. Hustisford, however, may be considered the most favored point on Rock River within the limits of Dodge County at the present time. In the town of Rubicon, saw and gfist mills are supplied with power from the Rubicon River at several points, while Ashippun River, as it passes through the southeastern corner of the town of Ashippun, is utilized in the same manner. Rock River passes out of Dodge County in Section 36, town of Lebanon, but returns, as if loath to leave so beautiful a spot, and makes its force felt again (in the town of Emmet) before winding its weary way to the mother stream. Tlie
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.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Questions about Hustisford’s history
What year was Hustisford founded?
The Hustisford post office opened in 1847, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Hustisford rank for history?
Hustisford is more historic than 91% 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 Hustisford?
One place: the John Hustis House (listed 1983).
How old are the homes in Hustisford?
42% of Hustisford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±12.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1962.
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 National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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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