The Lanark post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Badger (1854), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,535143 years
How historic is Lanark?
A−
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Lanark post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Lanark’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lanark is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lanark’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 Lanark’s 45.5 sits above most of its state (87% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±15.2 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 Lanark’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 Lanark yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lanark is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,535. The unincorporated community of Badger is within the town.
Its first post office opened in 1883. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,527 in 2010, 1,535 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lanark, 1854 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Lanark post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Lanark rank for history?
Lanark is more historic than 79% 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 Lanark?
Two places: the Severance-Pipe Farmstead (listed 1993) and the Pipe School (1993).
How old are the homes in Lanark?
29% of Lanark’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±15.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
