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–Not graded
History · Rock Elm

Rock Elm’s post office opened in 1863, and 58% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1941 on.

1863first post office
0on the National Register
58%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Rock Elm began

When was Rock Elm founded?

1863

The Rock Elm post office opened in 1863, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Waverly (1878), Exile (1887) and Farmhill (1889), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 447163 years
Founding year: the first Rock Elm post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Rock Elm’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 Rock Elm are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Rock Elm, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Old housesHalf of Rock Elm’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Rock Elm’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Rock Elm’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

Rock Elm had its own post office from 1863 to 1878. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Rock Elm
1863–1878
Waverly
1878–1904
Rock Elm
1881–1955
Exile
1887–1901
Farmhill
1889–1906
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ExileWaverly
Gone or out of use
Corner View SchoolschoolTripple Hill Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Rock Elm
Farm Hill CatholicPoplar Hill

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

The story so far

Rock Elm, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rock Elm yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Rock Elm is a town in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 447 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Exile and Rock Elm are located in the town. The unincorporated community of Waverly is also located partially in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1863. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 485 to 447 (-8%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Rock Elm, 1863 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1863Post officeThe Rock Elm post office opens
  3. 1878Post officeThe Rock Elm post office closes
  4. 1878Post officeThe Waverly post office opens
  5. 1881Post officeThe Rock Elm post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1904Post officeThe Waverly post office closes
  8. 1941On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1955Post officeThe Rock Elm post office closes
By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Rock Elm on the map, 1941 to 1972

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

Rock Elm on the 1941 USGS mapRock Elm on the 1972 USGS map1941Arkansaw 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 Rock Elm.

Famous people

Famous people close to Rock Elm

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

See all →
Helen ParkhurstAmerican educator, author, and lecturer · b. 1887
T
Thomas DreierAmerican editor, writer, advertising executive,… · b. 1884
Lucius Roy HolbrookUnited States Army general · b. 1875
Willard Ames HolbrookMajor General · b. 1860
C. A. IngramAmerican lawyer and politician · b. 1867
F
Frank GregoryAmerican baseball player · b. 1888
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Eau GalleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEl PasoIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townElmwoodIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUnionIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSpring LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Rock Elm’s history

What year was Rock Elm founded?

The Rock Elm post office opened in 1863, 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 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.