The story of Melvina began when Vernon County miller Charles A. Hunt returned from the Civil War and sold all his interests in that county. He used the funds to buy 300 acres of land in Monroe County, including the present site of the village of Melvina. He built a mill at that site and persuaded other families to come and settle there. He named the settlement "Melvina" after his recently deceased wife, Amanda Melvina Hunt (née Ray).
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Melvina. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1909Sparta 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 Melvina.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Melvina in 1912
Passages that mention Melvina, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 792Read the page →
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and i\lrs. IMashak have two children, Joseph and Levi. After his marriage, ilr. Mashak purchased a farm of 215 acres, where he lived for five years, then moved into the village of Melvina in Jefferson township, and for a short time was engaged in the saloon business. lie erected a large brick business building, which is now owned by Tony Pelzer. After disposing of his interests in Melvina, ]\Ir. Mashak, in 1905, moved to the village of Cashton and again endiarked in the saloon business, but soon
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History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 530Read the page →
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gathering some families around him. This place he named ‘‘Melvina," which was on the mail route that then existed between Sparta and Viroqua, and the captain was its postmaster until the time of his death. Melvina is a thrifty village and the railroad station, with good markets, and merchants handling goods of every description, has a creamery, a church and graded schools.
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History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present1912 · page 509Read the page →
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Herbert Koehlbraf. William McFarland, John Aller, George Whittley, Thomas Young, and a few more. At this time and since the organization of the town in 1858 we find a little log school house in Coles valley, and near Melvina is a school district called "District No. 1;" a little frame school house near Thompson's is District No. 2, and a little log school house, now known as St. Mary's, is District No. 3. Richard Cole was the first chairman of the town, and James Thompson and Michael
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History of Monroe County Wisconsin1912 · page 529Read the page →
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Herbert Koehlbraf, William McFarland, John Aller, George Whittley, Thomas Young, and a few more. At this time and since the organization of the town in 1858 we find a little log school house in Coles valley, and near Melvina is a school district called ‘‘District No. 1;’’ a little frame school house near Thompson’s is District No. 2, and a little log school house, now known as St. Mary's, is District No. 3. Richard Cole was the first chairman of the town, and James Thompson and Michael
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.
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 (1), Wikipedia, 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.
2023
