Mineral Point dates to 1827, and 46% of its homes were built before 1940
Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns · #2 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 503 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1829.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mineral Point’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mineral Point is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mineral Point’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 Mineral Point’s 1,970 sits above most of its state (100% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 504 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1827.
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 Mineral Point’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.
The first European settlement at Mineral Point began in 1827. One of the first settlers to the area was Henry Dodge and his family who settled a few miles away from Mineral Point. During the following year, large quantities of galena, or lead ore, were discovered around the settlement in shallow deposits. Lead had many uses at the time, and settlers began to flock to the region hoping to make a living by extracting the easily accessible mineral. Lead deposits extended throughout an area that also included Dubuque, Iowa and Galena, Illinois, but Mineral Point became the center of lead mining operations within the bounds of present-day Wisconsin (then part of Michigan Territory). By 1829, the region's growing population led to the creation of Iowa County, which included all of the lead mining lands within the territory. Mineral Point was established as the county seat later that year. Dur…
Passages that mention Mineral Point, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Iowa County, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources...biographical sketches..1881 · page 522Read the page →
Read the text
The charter authorized the issue of capital stock to the amount of 3aOO,000, divided into 5,000 shares of 3100 each. The route of the projected railroad was optional, subject to a decision of the shareholders, but was specifically to run from Mineral Point in either of the Towns No. 1 north, of the base line and east of the Fourth Principal Meridian in La Fayette or Green Counties. On June 5, 1852, a meeting was held in Mineral Point to decide on the most feasible route for the railroad. Parley Eaton was nominated Chairman, and G. D. Wilber, Secretary. A committee, consisting of the following names, was appointed to consider the question : John Bracken, L S. Allen, James Noble, Cyrus Woodman, George W. Bliss, Theodore Rodolf,
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
Mineral Point, 1827 to 1980
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Mineral Point. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1952Mineral Point sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Mineral Point.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewOdd Fellows Hall, Front and Vine Streets, 1933
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Mineral Point’s page.
Mineral Point’s post office has been open since 1829.
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Mineral Point
GracelandSaint Mary'sSaint Paul
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Mineral Point’s history
What year was Mineral Point founded?
In 1827, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Mineral Point’s post office opened in 1829, and the census of 1860 counted 2,389 people here.
How does Mineral Point rank for history?
Mineral Point is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, #2 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 Mineral Point?
Three places: the Pendarvis (listed 1971), the Mineral Point Historic District (1971) and the Mineral Point Hill (1972).
How old are the homes in Mineral Point?
46% of Mineral Point’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1950.
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 (8), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
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