The story so far
Waterville, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Waterville yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 831 in 2010, 829 in 2020.
–Not graded
History · Waterville
45% of Waterville’s homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1941 on.
0on the National Register
45%homes built before 1940
What stands out about Waterville’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 Waterville’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Waterville’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.By decade
Waterville, decade by decade
Today1 recent
2025On the map
Waterville on the map, 1941 to 1972
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Waterville. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1941Arkansaw sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Waterville.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Waterville
Nobody well known was born in Waterville itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
T
Thomas DreierAmerican editor, writer, advertising executive,… · b. 1884
Places that used to be
Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Arkansaw
Gone or out of use
Big Arkansaw SchoolschoolBig Coulee SchoolschoolForestvale SchoolschoolKnight SchoolschoolLittle Arkansaw SchoolschoolMaple Ridge SchoolschoolMarble SchoolschoolPlummer Schoolschool
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Waterville
Arkansaw MemorialFrenchRound HillSaint Josephs
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.
DurandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFrankfortIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEau GalleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWaubeekIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUnionIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town
Questions about Waterville’s history
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.