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–Not graded
History · Scott

32% of Scott’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1955 on and old-book passages.

0on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
1famous people
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What stands out about Scott’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 Scott are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Scott’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Scott, in brief

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

Scott is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 857 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Ingle is located partially in the town. The town is named for Winfield Scott who, at the time of the town's formation in 1849, was a hero of the Mexican–American War.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 905 to 857 (-5%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Scott, 1880–1914

Passages that mention Scott, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Passage from The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement .. that mentions Scott
The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement ..1880 · page 833Read the page →
There are two other societies of the above nomination partly in this town : "one has its church just north of the town line, in the town of Manchester, and the other on the town line in the town of Scott, and a German Lutheran Reform Church is also on the town line in the town of Scott ; but as the…
The history of Columbia county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement ..1880 · page 852Read the page →
Read the text

There are two other societies of the above nomination partly in this town : "one has its church just north of the town line, in the town of Manchester, and the other on the town line in the town of Scott, and a German Lutheran Reform Church is also on the town line in the town of Scott ; but as they are not located in town, the plan of this sketch precludes any further remarks, excepting that in 186H the latter society purchased five acres of land on Section 6, and built a parsonage on it.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Named After Winfield Scott The Town of Scott was organized for civil and political purposes in November. 1849, and was named after General Winfield Scott who was making his Mexican war record during the first years of its settlement.
A history of Columbia County, Wisconsin1914 · page 426Read the page →
Read the text

Named After Winfield Scott The Town of Scott was organized for civil and political purposes in November. 1849, and was named after General Winfield Scott who was making his Mexican war record during the first years of its settlement.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
settler in the Town of Scott, which bounds Springvale on the north. On April 2!). 1845, he entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section I, and Lot 1 in Section 2, his entries in Scott, earlier in the year, being in Section 34, just over the line. Mr. Dodge's home was in the Town of Sco…
A history of Columbia County, Wisconsin1914 · page 430Read the page →
Read the text

settler in the Town of Scott, which bounds Springvale on the north. On April 2!). 1845, he entered the west half of the southeast quarter of Section I, and Lot 1 in Section 2, his entries in Scott, earlier in the year, being in Section 34, just over the line. Mr. Dodge's home was in the Town of Scott.

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

Scott, 1848 to 1955

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1848Born hereWilliam O' Neil is born here
  3. 1848Post officeThe Portage Prairie post office opens
  4. 1848Post officeThe Portage Prairie post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1955On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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.

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On the map

Scott on the map, 1955 to 1980

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

Scott on the 1955 USGS mapScott on the 1980 USGS map1955Randolph 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 Scott.

Places that used to be

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

Another post office, Portage Prairie, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Ingle
Gone or out of use
Gaastra Quarrymine
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Scott
Pleasant HillPortage PrairieRosedale Presbyterian

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.

MarcellonIts storyA−KingstonIts storyBSpringvaleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townManchesterIts storyB−WyocenaIts storyC

Questions about Scott’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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 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.