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A−History
History · Lomira

Lomira dates to 1849, and 49% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: maps from 1955 on and the census since 1900.

1849founded
0on the National Register
49%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Lomira began

When was Lomira founded?

1849

Lomira dates its founding to 1849 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 492 in 19002020 census: 1,099177 years

How historic is Lomira?

A−

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lomira’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lomira is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lomira’s overall grade.
Founding era1849, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194049.4% of homes (±11.7) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%A+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 77%
NewerOlder

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 Lomira’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.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1849.
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 (±11.7 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Lomira’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 Lomira are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Lomira, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Lomira’s homes were built before 1943.Deep rootsEstablished in 1849: 177 years of Lomira.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lomira’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lomira’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

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

Knowles
1879–1984
Nasbro
1913–1916
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
KnowlesNasbro
Gone or out of use
Ebenezer ChurchchurchEbenezer ChurchschoolHickory Grove SchoolschoolRural Leader SchoolschoolSilver Leaf Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lomira
EbenezerEmanuel

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

The story

How Lomira came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lomira.

Read it all →

The early history of the Village of Lomira is closely interwoven with the Town of Lomira. Prior to the arrival of white settlers, the son of Chief Black Hawk supposedly camped in the vicinity while blazing a trail from Milwaukee to Green Bay. There is no record of a settlement at Lomira prior to 1849. It was originally called Springfield, but in 1849, the name was changed to Lomira. Local lore says the village is a namesake of Elmira Schoonover, daughter of Sam Schoonover, an early settler. The first Post Office was established on May 11, 1849.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Lomira in 1880

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

In Town 13 north. Range 17 east, in the extreme northeastern part, lies the town of Lomira, an exclusively farming town, there being no village within its boundary, though there is one post office. The nearest trading-points for her people are Mayville and Waupun. The population in 1870 was 1,905, …
The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc1880 · page 413Read the page →
Read the text

In Town 13 north. Range 17 east, in the extreme northeastern part, lies the town of Lomira, an exclusively farming town, there being no village within its boundary, though there is one post office. The nearest trading-points for her people are Mayville and Waupun. The population in 1870 was 1,905, and almost exclusively Germans, In 1879, were reported for assessment 23,446 acres, showing very little unavailable land. This was valued at $81^,278.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In Town 13 north. Range 17 east, in the extreme northeastern part, lies the town of Lomira, an exclusively farming town, there being no village within its boundary, though there is one post ofiBce. The nearest trading-points for her people are Mayville and Waupun. The population in 1870 was 1,905, …
The history of Dodge county, Wisconsin, containing ... its early settlement, growth ... an extensive and minute sketch of its cities ... war record, biographical sketches1880 · page 413Read the page →
Read the text

In Town 13 north. Range 17 east, in the extreme northeastern part, lies the town of Lomira, an exclusively farming town, there being no village within its boundary, though there is one post ofiBce. The nearest trading-points for her people are Mayville and Waupun. The population in 1870 was 1,905, and almost exclusively Germans. In 1879, were reported for assessment 23,446 acres, showing very little unavailable land. This was valued at $813,278.

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

Lomira, 1849 to 1984

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1849
    FoundingLomira is established
  3. 1879Post officeThe Knowles post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1913Post officeThe Nasbro post office opens
  6. 1916Post officeThe Nasbro post office closes
  7. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1984Post officeThe Knowles post office closes
By decade

Lomira, decade by decade

Today15 recent
WHBollerMeatMarketAndResidenceLomiraWisconsin2011WHBollerMeatMarketAndResidenceLomiraWisconsinLomiraWisconsinSignWIS672011LomiraWisconsinSignWIS67LomiraWisconsinPublicWorksDepartment2011LomiraWisconsinPublicWorksDepartmentLomiraWisconsinWaterTower2010LomiraWisconsinWaterTowerLomiraWisconsinTrainDepot2010LomiraWisconsinTrainDepotLomiraWisconsinSkylineNorthWIS672010LomiraWisconsinSkylineNorthWIS67LomiraWisconsinSkylineEastWIS672010LomiraWisconsinSkylineEastWIS67LomiraWisconsinSchool2010LomiraWisconsinSchoolLomiraWisconsinPostOffice2010LomiraWisconsinPostOfficeLomiraWisconsinLibrary2010LomiraWisconsinLibraryLomiraWisconsinDowntown2010LomiraWisconsinDowntownQuad Graphics Tower2009Quad Graphics TowerLomira Tower 22008Lomira Tower 2Lomira Tower 12008Lomira Tower 1WIMap-doton-Lomira2004WIMap-doton-Lomira
On the map

Lomira on the map, 1955 to 1974

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

Lomira on the 1955 USGS mapLomira on the 1974 USGS map1955Campbellsport 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 Lomira.

People over time

Lomira, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50019001920194019601980200020202,678

Grew from 492 people in 1900 to 2,678 in 2020, 5 times over.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Leroy1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAshfordIts storyB−TheresaIts storyB+ByronIts storyB+

Questions about Lomira’s history

What year was Lomira founded?

In 1849, according to Wikidata. Lomira’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1900 counted 492 people here.

How does Lomira rank for history?

Lomira is more historic than 77% 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.

How old are the homes in Lomira?

49% of Lomira’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±11.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1943.

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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).

From Wikimedia Commons (15), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, 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.