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History · Ironton

29% of Ironton’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1956 on and the census since 1880.

0on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Ironton’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 Ironton are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Ironton’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Ironton, in brief

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

Ironton is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Little Baraboo River. The population was 274 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Ironton. Like the Town of Ironton, the village was named for deposits of iron ore in the area.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 660 in 2010, 662 in 2020.

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Ironton in 1880

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

petitioned to be set off as a separate town. To this, the citizens of the north end, for some reason best known to themselves, demurred, but the Ironton people succeeded in carrying through the project, and the town of Ironton was the result. This naturally left the records of all the territory in …
The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ..1880 · page 614Read the page →
Read the text

petitioned to be set off as a separate town. To this, the citizens of the north end, for some reason best known to themselves, demurred, but the Ironton people succeeded in carrying through the project, and the town of Ironton was the result. This naturally left the records of all the territory in question in possession of the town of Marston (now Lavalle), and it was considered a pretty good joke when the town of Ironton found itself compelled to make a transcript of them at its own expense. Marston soon after became, as it is now, the town of Lavalle, and every one was happy.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
pctitinnetl to be set off as a separate town. To this, the citizens of the north end, for some reason best known to themselves, demurred, but the Ironton people succeeded in carrying through the project, and the town of Ironton was the result. This naturally left the records of alUho territory in (…
The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ... the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin1880 · page 614Read the page →
Read the text

pctitinnetl to be set off as a separate town. To this, the citizens of the north end, for some reason best known to themselves, demurred, but the Ironton people succeeded in carrying through the project, and the town of Ironton was the result. This naturally left the records of alUho territory in (juestion in possession of the town of Marston (now Lavalle), and it was considered a pretty good joke when the town of Ironton found itself compelled to make a transcript of them at its own expense. Marston soon after became, as it is now, the town of Lavalle, and every one was happy.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
They are connected with the Ironton Church, a history of which is given in that of the town of Ironton. The first Methodist services held in the town of Washington were conducted at the schoolhouse on Section 2, in the summer of 1855. Preaching was by the Rev. Mr. Hall. The churcii at Ironton was b…
The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ... the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin1880 · page 616Read the page →
Read the text

They are connected with the Ironton Church, a history of which is given in that of the town of Ironton. The first Methodist services held in the town of Washington were conducted at the schoolhouse on Section 2, in the summer of 1855. Preaching was by the Rev. Mr. Hall. The churcii at Ironton was built in 1863, and the present Pastor is Elder George Tyake.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
They are connected with the Ironton Church, a history of which is given in that of the town of Ironton. The first Methodist services held in the town of Washington were conducted at the schoolhouse on Section 2, in the summer of 1855. Preaching was by the Rev. Mr. Hall. The church at Ironton was bu…
The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources ... biographical sketches ..1880 · page 616Read the page →
Read the text

They are connected with the Ironton Church, a history of which is given in that of the town of Ironton. The first Methodist services held in the town of Washington were conducted at the schoolhouse on Section 2, in the summer of 1855. Preaching was by the Rev. Mr. Hall. The church at Ironton was built in 1863, and the present Pastor is Elder George Tyake.

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.

By decade

Ironton, decade by decade

Today2 recent
Ironton, Wisconsin2024Ironton, WisconsinIronton, WI public park2023Ironton, WI public park
On the map

Ironton on the map, 1956 to 1975

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

Ironton on the 1956 USGS mapIronton on the 1975 USGS map1956Reedsburg 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 Ironton.

People over time

Ironton, census by census

010020030018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 274

Between 167 and 274 people in every census since 1880.

13 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Ironton

Nobody well known was born in Ironton itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Warren WeaverAmerican mathematician · b. 1894
Marc MitscherUnited States admiral · b. 1887
Ryne DurenAmerican baseball player · b. 1929
Clare BriggsAmerican cartoonist · b. 1875
E
Elmore Y. SarlesAmerican politician · b. 1859
M
Marga RichterAmerican composer · b. 1926
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Bethel SchoolschoolHickory Grove SchoolschoolOakland Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Ironton
CalvaryResting GreenThornton

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.

CazenoviaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWashingtonIts storyBWestfordIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLa ValleIts storyCLime RidgeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReedsburgIts storyB

Questions about Ironton’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.