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History · Vermont

Vermont’s post office opened in 1867, and 33% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1920 on and old-book passages.

1867first post office
0on the National Register
33%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Vermont began

When was Vermont founded?

1867

The Vermont post office opened in 1867, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Elvers (1878), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

2020 census: 871159 years
Founding year: the first Vermont post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Vermont’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 Vermont are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Vermont’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Vermont’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
The story so far

Vermont, in brief

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

Vermont is a town located in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 871 at the 2020 Census. The unincorporated communities of Elvers and Vermont are located in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1867. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 819 to 871 (+6%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Vermont, 1877–1880

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

Passage from History of Dane County, Wisconsin ... preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the Constitution of the United States that mentions Vermont
History of Dane County, Wisconsin ... preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the Constitution of the United States1880 · page 915Read the page →
divided into towns, the territory now constituting the town of Windsor was a portion of the town of Madison ; it so remained until February 11, 1847, when, by an act approved on that day, what is now the towns of Vienna, Westport, Windsor and Burke, was erected into a single town, and called Wmdsor…
History of Dane County, Wisconsin ... preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the Constitution of the United States1880 · page 873Read the page →
Read the text

divided into towns, the territory now constituting the town of Windsor was a portion of the town of Madison ; it so remained until February 11, 1847, when, by an act approved on that day, what is now the towns of Vienna, Westport, Windsor and Burke, was erected into a single town, and called Wmdsor, from a town of the same name in Vermont. The first town meeting was held at the house of Horace Lawrence, February 11, 1847, when the following officers among others were elected : 1847 — Charles M. Nichols, Chairman ; Alexander Botkin, Charles Carnelison, Supervisors ; Ira Mead, Clerk ; Gardner Cottrell, Treasurer ; Eleazer Grover, Nathan P. Spaulding,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Vermont was named by one of the settlers after his native state. The first settler was a German, named Joshua Harmony, who located here in ISM.
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 588Read the page →
Read the text

The town of Vermont was named by one of the settlers after his native state. The first settler was a German, named Joshua Harmony, who located here in ISM.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In early spring of 1S45, there came in a large number of people from Vermont and settled in the south part of the town, which took the name of the Vermont settlement, while in the northern part tliere came in quite a number from Maine, among whom were the Douglasses, Dammons, and CaslieSj and a few…
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 388Read the page →
Read the text

In early spring of 1S45, there came in a large number of people from Vermont and settled in the south part of the town, which took the name of the Vermont settlement, while in the northern part tliere came in quite a number from Maine, among whom were the Douglasses, Dammons, and CaslieSj and a few from New Turk and Ohio, and settled there, and it was known as the Maine settlement.

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

Vermont, 1867 to 1920

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1867Post officeThe Vermont post office opens
  3. 1868Post officeThe Vermont post office closes
  4. 1878Post officeThe Elvers post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1901Post officeThe Elvers post office closes
  7. 1920On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Vermont, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Farm North of Mt. Horeb ^ Helwig Auto Clinic2014Farm North of Mt. Horeb ^ Helwig Auto ClinicFarm North of Mt. Horeb2014Farm North of Mt. HorebDinosaurlike Creature2014Dinosaurlike CreatureDinosaurlike Creature - panoramio (1)2014Dinosaurlike Creature - panoramio (1)Barn and a Silo - panoramio (5)2014Barn and a Silo - panoramio (5)WIMap-doton-Vermont2004WIMap-doton-Vermont
On the map

Vermont on the map, 1920 to 1962

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

Vermont on the 1920 USGS mapVermont on the 1962 USGS map1920Blue Mounds 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 Vermont.

Famous people

Famous people close to Vermont

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

See all →
Skylar GreyAmerican singer · b. 1986
Robert M. La FolletteAmerican progressive politician from Wisconsin · b. 1855
August DerlethAmerican novelist, short story writer, poet, ed… · b. 1909
Mike WilkinsonAmerican basketball player · b. 1981
N
Neil WalkerAmerican swimmer, Olympic gold medalist, world … · b. 1976
J
Jamie KingAmerican director, choreographer, writer · b. 1972
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Vermont had its own post office from 1867 to 1868. Another post office, Elvers, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Vermont
1867–1868
Elvers
1878–1901
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Elvers
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Vermont
Saint James CatholicVermont Lutheran Church

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.

Blue Mounds1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBlack EarthIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townArena1 historic placeBCross PlainsIts storyC−

Questions about Vermont’s history

What year was Vermont founded?

The Vermont post office opened in 1867, 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 →
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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 Wikimedia Commons (6), 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.