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History · Pembine

Pembine’s post office opened in 1887

Most of Pembine was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 4 old photos and papers and maps from 1982 on.

1887first post office
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Pembine’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Pembine began

When was Pembine founded?

1887

The Pembine post office opened in 1887, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Kremlin (1909), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 877139 years
Founding year: the first Pembine post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Pembine’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Pembine’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Pembine’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPort Supper Club: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Pembine came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Pembine.

Read it all →

The name Pembine comes from the Native American name Pemene Won Bon, also the source of the name of the Pemebonwon River. The Soo Line connected the town by rail in 1887. Pembine was part of the town of Amberg until April 14, 1914, when it was established as a separate town. The economy of Pembine was based on the softwood logging industry, and the town declined after the Wisconsin and Michigan Railroad went bankrupt in 1912 and then discontinued service in 1915. The local economy then switched to potato farming, followed by growth in the dairy industry.

ChaptersMilwaukee & Soo railroads junction

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Pembine, 1887 to 1992

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1887Post officeThe Pembine post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1909Post officeThe Kremlin post office opens
  5. 1913Post officeThe Kremlin post office closes
  6. 1982On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1992In the archivePort Supper Club
By decade

Pembine, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s4 items
Port Supper Club1992Port Supper ClubPort Supper Club1992Port Supper ClubPort Supper Club1992Port Supper ClubPort Supper Club1992Port Supper Club
Today8 recent
Untitled photo2020Untitled photoUntitled photo2020Untitled photoDM&IR Ballast Car2020DM&IR Ballast CarPembine Wisconsin Looking West US82013Pembine Wisconsin Looking West US8Pembine Train Station2011Pembine Train StationPembineWisconsinTrainDepotUS1412009PembineWisconsinTrainDepotUS141PembineWisconsinRoadSignUS1412009PembineWisconsinRoadSignUS141PembineWisconsinPostOfficeUS1412009PembineWisconsinPostOfficeUS141
On the map

Pembine on the map in 1982

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pembine.

Pembine on the 1982 USGS map1982Pembine 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 Pembine.

Famous people

Famous people close to Pembine

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

See all →
Robert J. FlahertyAmerican documentary filmmaker · b. 1884
Lyle MaysAmerican jazz musician · b. 1953
Delaney SchnellAmerican diver · b. 1998
Art Van DammeAmerican musician · b. 1920
N
Nita EnglundAmerican ski jumper · b. 1992
S
Scott BealAmerican actor and director · b. 1890
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Pembine’s post office has been open since 1887. Another post office, Kremlin, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Pembine
1887–today
Kremlin
1909–1913
18801950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Kremlin
1cemetery inside Pembine
Pembine

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.

BeecherIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNiagaraIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDunbarIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Pembine’s history

What year was Pembine founded?

The Pembine post office opened in 1887, 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 (12), 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.