Merrill was first counted by the census in 1880, and 35% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #75 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 26 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1880.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Merrill is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #75 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Merrill’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 Merrill’s 32.1 sits above most of its state (86% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 30 historic buildings outnumber those of 82% 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 (±5.5 points).
Founding year: the first census (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 Merrill’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Merrill was first inhabited by the Chippewa Native Americans. The first European settlement there was a logging town named Jenny Bull Falls. By 1843, a trading post was constructed near the town; John Faely was the first settler. Within four years a dam, started by Andrew Warren, was constructed over the Wisconsin River. Warren then established the first mill powered by the dam, and other saw mills in the area. In 1870, T. B. Scott succeeded Warren, and the mill soon became increasingly successful. In 1899 the mill burned down. During that time the name of the community was changed to Merrill, in honor of Sherburn S. Merrill (1818–1885), the general manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds
Merrill’s post office has been open since 1881. Another post office, Jenny, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Jenny
1859–1881
Merrill
1881–today
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Bible Presbyterian ChurchchurchEmanuel Covenant ChurchchurchGrace Methodist ChurchchurchLincoln County Normal SchoolschoolOur Saviors Lutheran ChurchchurchSaint Francis Catholic SchoolschoolSaint Francis Xavier Catholic ChurchchurchSaint Stephens Memorial SchoolschoolSeventh Day Adventist Churchchurch
1cemetery inside Merrill
Merrill Memorial Park
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.
The Merrill post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1881.
How does Merrill rank for history?
Merrill is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #75 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Merrill?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Scott, T. B., Free Library (listed 1974, the first), 1 historic district, the Center Avenue Historic District, with 26 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 30 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Merrill?
35% of Merrill’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1955.
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 (3), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1906
