Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Its Register listings are the James Jesse Strang House, the Horace Loomis House and the John and Margaret Bell House. Below: maps from 1893 on and old-book passages.
The Spring Prairie post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Franklin (1837) and Vienna (1849), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Spring Prairie is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
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 Spring Prairie’s 16.0 sits above most of its state (80% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
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 →
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Spring Prairie’s history is told.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Spring Prairie. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Spring Prairie.
Spring Prairie had its own post office from 1845 to 1925. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikipedia’s history of Spring Prairie.
Spring Prairie was originally called Franklin. The name was changed when an early settler suggested naming the settlement after the natural springs that discharged into Spring Brook, a branch of Sugar Creek.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Spring Prairie, cut from the printed page as they were published.
This town, at first included in Spring Prairie, was set off March 21, 1843. It is town 3 north, range 17 east, less section 31, set off in 1846 to form the town of Elkhorn. Beginning on its north line, and following the direction of the sun, it is bounded by Troy, Spring Prairie, Geneva and Elkhorn, and Elkhorn and Sugar Creek. Its surface varies between 855 and 1,015 feet above sea-level — the lowest point a creek valley in section 8, its highest near Elkhorn, near section 31. Sugar creek crosses from west to east a little north of the middle line of the town, and affords a
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
At the division of the county into five towns, January 2, 1838, the two townships, each numbered 3 north, lying in ranges 17 and 18 east, were included in the town of Spring Prairie, and were so joined until March 21, 1843. when the westernmost town was set off as Lafayette. The name was suggested to Mrs. Abigail A. ( Whitmore) Heminway by the natural features of the southern half of the town — the springs being in sections 19 and 20 and discharging themselves into Spring brook, a branch of Sugar creek. Rochester and Burlington lie eastward.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
diameter, standing on the east line of the town of Spring Prairie, and south of White River bridge, where they would find three golden plates buried in three feet of earth. These precious plates would be enclosed in a case of sliglitly baked clay, and covered with a flat stone. Upon them would be found written a full account of an ancient people called Mormons. These men testified that they found the plates as directed by Strang, and imbedded in earth which had the appearance of having lain undisturbed for ages. The mysterious inscription was tianslated by Prophet Strang, and its most important clause seemed to be that Joseph Smith had appointed him to be his true and worthy
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1836, when Spring Prairie was first settled, the nearest postoffice was at Racine, — the nearest saw-mill at the rapids of Root River, three miles beyond Racine, and the nearest grist-mill at Ottawa, 111.
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.
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
BuiltJames Jesse Strang House is built
BuiltJohn and Margaret Bell House is built
Born hereHenry A. Cooper is born here
BuiltHorace Loomis House is built
Born hereRollin D. Salisbury is born here
On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological SurveyThe country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
The Spring Prairie post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
Spring Prairie is more historic than 77% 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.
Three places: the James Jesse Strang House (listed 1974), the Horace Loomis House (1974) and the John and Margaret Bell House (1994).
12% of Spring Prairie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1990.
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, 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.
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