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History · Wayne

43% of Wayne’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1923 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Wayne’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 Wayne are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Wayne’s homes were built before 1953.
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Start Wayne’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wayne’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

How Wayne came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Wayne.

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The town was named in honor of "Mad" Anthony Wayne, a Revolutionary War general.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Wayne in 1881

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

The town of Wayne was an election precinct connected with Gratiot until it was erected into a town, by the action of the County Commissioners, on the 3d day of January, 1849. The name given was selected by the inhabitants, in honor of " Mad " Anthony Wayne, of Revolutionary fame.
History of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1881 · page 598Read the page →
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The town of Wayne was an election precinct connected with Gratiot until it was erected into a town, by the action of the County Commissioners, on the 3d day of January, 1849. The name given was selected by the inhabitants, in honor of " Mad " Anthony Wayne, of Revolutionary fame.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A school was first taught in Wayne in 1840, by E. I. Wescott, in the old log schoolhouse of Section 4. From this small beginning, the town has gradually increased its educational facili-, ties until at present there are seven whole and two joint school districts in the town, and seven schoolhouses,…
History of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources1881 · page 600Read the page →
Read the text

A school was first taught in Wayne in 1840, by E. I. Wescott, in the old log schoolhouse of Section 4. From this small beginning, the town has gradually increased its educational facili-, ties until at present there are seven whole and two joint school districts in the town, and seven schoolhouses, the most of which are very good buildings.

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.

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

Wayne on the map, 1923 to 1962

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

Wayne on the 1923 USGS mapWayne on the 1962 USGS map1923South Wayne 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 Wayne.

People over time

Wayne, census by census

010020030040050020002020Peak: 496

Between 474 and 496 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Wayne

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

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Nathan Farragut TwiningUnited States general · b. 1897
Edwin Bingham CopelandAmerican botanist · b. 1873
Clint JonesSki jumper · b. 1984
Abner DalrympleAmerican baseball player · b. 1857
B
Bob AndereggAmerican basketball player · b. 1937
John MorrowAmerican politician · b. 1865
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wayne
BrownEastmanHoffmanLa DueZion

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.

Wiota2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGratiotIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCadizIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Wayne’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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), 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.