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CHistory
History · Mercer

Mercer’s post office opened in 1895, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1895first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Cbradshaw · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Mercer began

When was Mercer founded?

1895

The Mercer post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Manitowish (1890), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 1,649131 years

How historic is Mercer?

C

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Mercer post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Mercer’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mercer is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mercer’s overall grade.
Founding era1895, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194010.0% of homes (±3.2) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−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 29%
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 Mercer’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 range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.2 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 Mercer’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 Mercer are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Mercer’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mercer’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
The story so far

Mercer, in brief

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

Mercer is a town in southern Iron County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census. The census-designated place of Mercer and the unincorporated communities of Carter and Manitowish are located within the town. Mercer identifies itself as the "Loon Capital of the World" to promote tourism. A wildlife study found Mercer had the highest concentration of common loons in the world. In front of the Mercer Chamber of Commerce's information center, there is a 16-foot (4.9 m), 2,000-pound (910 kg) statue named "Claire de Loon". Mercer also hosts an annual "Loon Day" festival, which features an arts and crafts fair, live music and a loon calling contest.

Its first post office opened in 1895. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,407 to 1,649 (+17%).

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

Timeline

Mercer, 1890 to 1968

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1890Post officeThe Manitowish post office opens
  3. 1895Post officeThe Mercer post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1968Post officeThe Manitowish post office closes
By decade

Mercer, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Mercer Hwy 512012Mercer Hwy 51Mercer Historical Society2012Mercer Historical SocietyMarshfield Clinic2012Marshfield ClinicHaines Fire Hall2012Haines Fire HallGreat Northern Motel2012Great Northern MotelDollar General®2012Dollar General®
Famous people

Famous people close to Mercer

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

See all →
Frank OlsonAmerican chemist · b. 1910
Renee EllmersFormer U.S. Representative from North Carolina · b. 1964
F
Franklin MatthiasAmerican nuclear engineer · b. 1908
Lise Anne CoutureArchitect · b. 1959
Raymond Joseph CannonPolitician, lawyer, baseball pitcher · b. 1894
L
Luke Timothy JohnsonAmerican New Testament Scholar; Robert W. Woodr… · b. 1943
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Mercer’s post office has been open since 1895. Another post office, Manitowish, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Manitowish
1890–1968
Mercer
1895–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CarterManitowish
1cemetery inside Mercer
Mercer

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Sherman1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOma1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKnightIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCareyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAgendaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWinchesterIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townManitowish Waters1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Mercer’s history

What year was Mercer founded?

The Mercer post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Mercer rank for history?

Mercer is more historic than 29% 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 Mercer?

10% of Mercer’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1981.

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 (6), 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.