More historic than 19% of U.S. towns · #338 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
Most of Jackson was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1904 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: the first Jackson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Jackson’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Jackson is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #338 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Jackson’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 Jackson’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be C−. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size. 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 Jackson’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first white settlers arrived in the Jackson area in 1843. The Wisconsin territorial legislature created the Town of Jackson on January 21, 1846, naming the settlement for former-president Andrew Jackson, who had died several months earlier.
Early settlements in the town included the hamlet of Kirchhayn, which formed around David's Star Lutheran Church in the 1840s, as well as the hamlet of Riceville, which later become the Village of Jackson. In the 1800s, the town's economy relied heavily on agricultural, and including dairy farming. Some of the earliest businesses in the community were cheese factories and creameries.
Passages that mention Jackson, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Proceedings of the sesque-centennial gathering of the descendants of Isaac and Ann Jackson, at Harmony Grove, Chester Co., Pa., eighth month, twenty-fifth, 1875. Together with the family genealogy1878 · page 366Read the page →
Read the text
In Yorkshire, during this year, " Henrt Jackson and John Jackson, for refusing to swear, were committed to prison "with two hundred and twenty-seven others.'* On the 1 1th of llmo., " Thomas Jackson, Stephen Crisp and several others, were taken from meeting, and for refusing to take the oath of allegiance were sent to prison." Christopher Halliday, James Jackson and one hundred and twenty-four others " were imprisoned for refusing to swear." The same year "John Jackson, Francis Halliday and
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Proceedings of the sesque-centennial gathering of the descendants of Isaac and Ann Jackson, at Harmony Grove, Chester Co., Pa., eighth month, twenty-fifth, 1875. Together with the family genealogy1878 · page 368Read the page →
Read the text
1688. Ralph Jackson and John Jackson were fined for a meeting at a private house. 1684. London. Imo. 19, William Jackson and eighteen others "were imprisoned for meeting together." Westmoreland. Thii year William Jackson, of Arnside, Thomas Jackson, of Barton, Digitized by Google
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
Jackson, 1857 to 1904
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Jackson post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Jackson rank for history?
Jackson is more historic than 19% of U.S. towns, #338 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 Jackson?
3% of Jackson’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1998.
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 the Library of Congress (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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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