On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Rushford is more historic than 94% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Rushford’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 Rushford’s 20.8 sits above most of its state (83% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±17.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Rushford’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The story so far
Rushford, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Rushford yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Rushford is a town in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Eureka, Island Park, and Waukau are located in the town. The ghost town of Delhi was located in the town.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 1,561 to 1,623 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Rushford in 1880
Passages that mention Rushford, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 244Read the page →
Read the text
Button also laid the first railroad ties in the townships of Berlin, Nepeuskun, Rushford and Omro; built all the culverts on the AVinneconne Railroad, and laid the iron through the Town of Rushford and to Omro station.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest1880 · page 296Read the page →
Read the text
town of Bloomingdale, was attached to Rushford ; and in 1856 the north half of the same was attached. Subsequently Sections i, 12 and north half of 13, in Rushford, were attach ed to Omro, leaving the town of Omro with. its present boundaries.
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
Rushford, 1848 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Rushford is more historic than 94% 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 Rushford?
One place: the Eureka Lock and Lock Tender's House (listed 1976).
How old are the homes in Rushford?
35% of Rushford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±17.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1965.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
