New London dates to 1851, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #125 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it
2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 5 buildings. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1969 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New London’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New London is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #125 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New London’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 New London’s 15.5 sits above most of its state (80% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% 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 (±5.7 points). Two sources give 1851.
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 →
For thousands of years, this area was occupied by successive indigenous cultures. Some were known as moundbuilders, constructing a reported 72 earthworks near what is now Taylor Lake in the county, including many effigy mounds. Their descendants included the Menominee, who lived here for thousands of years. In the Menominee language this place is known as Sakēmāēwataenoh, meaning "mosquito place", likely due to its riverside location. The Menominee sold this land to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars, which saw over four million acres of land in Wisconsin sold after years of negotiation about how to accommodate the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who were being removed from New York to Wisconsin.
Passages that mention New London, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Waupaca county, Wisconsin1890 · page 83Read the page →
Read the text
present name. Its population is about 350. It is situated in the northern part of the Town of Mukwa, on the Wolf River, three miles below the City of New London. It has 1 general store, 2 saloons, 2 blacksmith shops, 1 saw mill and lumber yard, 1 planing mill, 2 churches, and 1 hotel.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Waupaca county, Wisconsin1890 · page 87Read the page →
Read the text
The City of New London is located on Sections 1, 12, and 13, of the Town of Mukwa, and also on a contiguous portion of Outagamie County.
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
New London, 1851 to 1988
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.
In 1851, according to Wikidata. New London’s post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1860 counted 468 people here.
How does New London rank for history?
New London is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #125 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 New London?
Two places: the Thern Farmstead (listed 2024) and the William H. Hatten Recreation Park (2024).
How old are the homes in New London?
20% of New London’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
1968
1968
1968
1988
