The Phelps post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Hackley (1902), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 1,238114 years
How historic is Phelps?
B−
More historic than 49% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Phelps post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Phelps’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Phelps is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Phelps’ 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 Phelps’ 205 sits above most of its state (98% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 28 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Phelps’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area that is today Phelps was originally inhabited by the Chippewa Indian people. In the early 18th century, French trappers and fur traders settled in the area. Lac Vieux Desert served as a crossroads for this trade. Due to the abundance of healthy forest in the area, the logging business first arrived to exploit this resource in 1896. A large Finnish population moved to the town, significantly increasing its population, between 1906 and 1912. The town was originally named Hackley, but was renamed to Phelps in 1912 after William Phelps, a partner in the Hackley, Phelps & Bonnell Company.
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.
The Phelps post office opened in 1912, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Phelps rank for history?
Phelps is more historic than 49% of U.S. towns. 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 Phelps?
Two places: the Big Sand Lake Club (listed 2005) and the Fort Eagle (1998).
How old are the homes in Phelps?
10% of Phelps’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1984.
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, 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.
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