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CHistory
History · Walworth

Walworth dates to 1901, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 27% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1910.

1901founded
0on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
From Walworth’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Walworth began

When was Walworth founded?

1901

Walworth dates its founding to 1901 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 755 in 19102020 census: 1,565125 years

How historic is Walworth?

C

More historic than 27% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1849.
History grade

What drives Walworth’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Walworth is more historic than 27% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Walworth’s overall grade.
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 27%
NewerOlder

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 Walworth’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (28% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1901.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.7 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (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 →

What stands out about Walworth’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

★ What stands out · Help out

Start Walworth’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Walworth’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
On the map

Walworth on the map, 1893 to 1971

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

Walworth on the 1893 USGS mapWalworth on the 1960 USGS mapWalworth on the 1971 USGS map1893Delavan 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 Walworth.

The story so far

Walworth, in brief

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

Walworth is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,759 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Walworth.

Walworth was established in 1901. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,702 to 1,565 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Walworth, 1840 to 1947

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1840Born hereCarlos D. Shelden is born here
  3. 1849Post officeThe Big Foot Prairie post office opens
  4. 1861Post officeThe Big Foot Prairie post office closes
  5. 1893On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 20th century
  7. 1901
    FoundingWalworth is established
  8. 1911Born hereEdith Kellman is born here
  9. 1947In the archiveWalworth Theatre
By decade

Walworth, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Every building

Walworth, building by building, 1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Walworth fire insurance map, 1912, sheet 11912Sheet 1 of 2

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Walworth Theatre
Retake this viewWalworth Theatre, 1947

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Walworth’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Walworth, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,816

Between 755 and 2,816 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Walworth’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Walworth

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

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

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Walworth
Brick ChurchCobblestoneWalworth Center

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.

Questions about Walworth’s history

What year was Walworth founded?

In 1901, according to Wikidata. Walworth’s post office opened in 1849, and the census of 1910 counted 755 people here.

How does Walworth rank for history?

Walworth is more historic than 27% 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.

How old are the homes in Walworth?

20% of Walworth’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.7 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1979.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (3), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.