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–Not graded
History · Johnson

32% of Johnson’s homes were built before 1940

Below: old-book passages.

0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Johnson’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 Johnson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Johnson, and 3 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Johnson’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Johnson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Johnson’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Wuertsburg
1887–1904
Corinth
1895–1934
Milan
1901–1987
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CorinthMilanWuertsburg
Gone or out of use
Corinth AirportairportSilver Leaf Schoolschool
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Johnson
Bethlehem LutheranPilgrim RestSaint Thomas

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story so far

Johnson, in brief

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

The Town of Johnson is located in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Wausau, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 873 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Corinth, Milan, and Wuertsburg are located in the town.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 985 to 873 (-11%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Johnson in 1913

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

the Halsey farm, but in the meanwhile had bought land for himself, of which he took charge after leaving the Halsey farm. He owns one farm of eighty acres situated in the town of Rietbrock and another of eighty acres in the town of Johnson, both of which he has rented to capable tenants. In March, …
History of Marathon County, Wisconsin1913 · page 676Read the page →
Read the text

the Halsey farm, but in the meanwhile had bought land for himself, of which he took charge after leaving the Halsey farm. He owns one farm of eighty acres situated in the town of Rietbrock and another of eighty acres in the town of Johnson, both of which he has rented to capable tenants. In March, 1906, the Marathon County Farmers' Creamery Company was organized with the following officers: John H. Jenkins, president and manager, and A. F. Hoge, secretary and treasurer. The present officers are : William Riehle, president ; Rinehold Paersch, sec-

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
but nine years ago a church was built and there are now regular services held by the resident minister of the village of Dorchester. Many of the families of this town are members of the congregations in the near villages of Abbottsford, Colby, Dorchester and in the town of Johnson, which joins this…
History of Marathon County, Wisconsin1913 · page 557Read the page →
Read the text

but nine years ago a church was built and there are now regular services held by the resident minister of the village of Dorchester. Many of the families of this town are members of the congregations in the near villages of Abbottsford, Colby, Dorchester and in the town of Johnson, which joins this town on the east. THE TOWN OF HAMBURG.

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

Johnson, 1887 to 1987

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Wuertsburg post office opens
  3. 1895Post officeThe Corinth post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1901Post officeThe Milan post office opens
  6. 1904Post officeThe Wuertsburg post office closes
  7. 1934Post officeThe Corinth post office closes
  8. 1987Post officeThe Milan post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Johnson

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

See all →
J
Jeane DixonAmerican astrologer and psychic · b. 1904
Charles WinningerActor · b. 1884
Jack PerkinsActor · b. 1921
George Washington BlanchardAmerican politician · b. 1884
M
Macey KiltyAmerican freestyle wrestler · b. 2001
Dale LewisAmerican professional and amateur wrestler · b. 1933
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

HoltonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFrankfortIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAthensIts storyB−BernIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRietbrockIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Johnson’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 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.