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History · Northfield

Northfield’s post office opened in 1879, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1927 on.

1879first post office
0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Northfield began

When was Northfield founded?

1879

The Northfield post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Pigeon Creek Centre (1869) and York (1883), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 674147 years
Founding year: the first Northfield post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Northfield’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 Northfield are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Northfield, and 1 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Northfield’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Northfield’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Northfield’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
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Northfield had its own post office from 1879 to 1957. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pigeon Creek Centre
1869–1879
Northfield
1879–1957
York
1883–1905
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
York
Gone or out of use
Chimney Rock SchoolschoolEllingson SchoolschoolHolen SchoolschoolNorthfield SchoolschoolSchermerhorn SchoolschoolTimber Creek Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Northfield
LutheranPigeon Creek

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

The story

How Northfield came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Northfield.

Read it all →

The first immigrant settlers came to the Northfield area in the 1850s. The town was created in November 1857 out of the northwestern portion of the town of Brooklyn. Sixteen families were listed in the town by the 1860 census. Garfield was created out of the northern portion of Northfield in 1881.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Northfield, 1869 to 1957

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1869Post officeThe Pigeon Creek Centre post office opens
  3. 1879Post officeThe Pigeon Creek Centre post office closes
  4. 1879Post officeThe Northfield post office opens
  5. 1883Post officeThe York post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1905Post officeThe York post office closes
  8. 1927On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1957Post officeThe Northfield post office closes
By decade

Northfield, decade by decade

Today3 recent
Northfield, Wisconsin2024Northfield, WisconsinNorthfield Town Hall Wisconsin2024Northfield Town Hall WisconsinWIMap-doton-Northfield2004WIMap-doton-Northfield
On the map

Northfield on the map, 1927 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Northfield. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Northfield on the 1927 USGS mapNorthfield on the 1968 USGS mapNorthfield on the 1984 USGS map1927Blair 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 Northfield.

Famous people

Famous people close to Northfield

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

See all →
Carole LandisAmerican actress · b. 1919
Callista GingrichU.S. diplomat · b. 1966
Herman EkernLawyer, politician; Lieutenant Governor of Wisc… · b. 1872
Dan DevineAmerican college football coach, professional f… · b. 1924
Edward E. LyonUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1871
J
John Bethune MelbyAmerican composer · b. 1941
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

HaleIts storyB−GarfieldIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGarden ValleyIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCurranIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSumnerIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPigeonIts storyB

Questions about Northfield’s history

What year was Northfield founded?

The Northfield post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.