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CHistory
History · Westport

Westport’s post office opened in 1854, and 10% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns · #297 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

Below: maps from 1890 on and old-book passages.

1854first post office
0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Westport began

When was Westport founded?

1854

The Westport post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 4,191172 years

How historic is Westport?

C

More historic than 29% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Westport post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Westport’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Westport is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #297 of 362 in Wisconsin. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Westport’s overall grade.
Founding era1854, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194010.2% of homes (±6.9) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WI town 3.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 29%
NewerOlder
Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 18%

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 Westport’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.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.9 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 →

What stands out about Westport’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 Westport are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1983. Watch Westport change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westport’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Westport’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
On the map

Westport on the map, 1890 to 1983

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

Westport on the 1890 USGS mapWestport on the 1904 USGS mapWestport on the 1959 USGS mapWestport on the 1969 USGS mapWestport on the 1974 USGS mapWestport on the 1983 USGS map1890Madison 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 Westport.

The story

How Westport came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westport.

Read it all →

The town was named after Westport, County Mayo, in Ireland because many of the early settlers were from there. The village of Waunakee was carved out of the town in 1893, leaving the remainder of the town on both sides. Other portions have been annexed by the cities of Madison and Middleton. A portion of the former Town of Madison on the northern shore of Lake Mendota was transferred to Westport.

In September 2024, the town's board of supervisors voted to support a petition to incorporate as a village, and it filed a petition with Wisconsin's Incorporation Review Board in July 2025.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Westport, 1877–1880

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

N. Y., in 1846 ; came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1850 ; his father engaged in the grocery business in Milwaukee, but removed to Madison in 1851 ; his father was engaged as contractor and foreman on the M. & P. du Q. R. R.; also on the M. & St. P. and N.-W. Railroads; afterward engaged in farm…
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 1270Read the page →
Read the text

N. Y., in 1846 ; came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1850 ; his father engaged in the grocery business in Milwaukee, but removed to Madison in 1851 ; his father was engaged as contractor and foreman on the M. & P. du Q. R. R.; also on the M. & St. P. and N.-W. Railroads; afterward engaged in farming in the town of Westport ; Michael owned a farm in the town of Westport, which he sold, and now resides in the village of Waunakee. He has been Ti:easurer of the town for four years, also Constable for about three years.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The town of Westport derives its name from Westport, Ireland, from which place many of its early settlers came. The town is watered by the Yahara River, which enters the northeast part of the town on Section 13, and flows southwesterly into Lake Mendota, and also by Six Mile Creek, which enters the…
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 922Read the page →
Read the text

The town of Westport derives its name from Westport, Ireland, from which place many of its early settlers came. The town is watered by the Yahara River, which enters the northeast part of the town on Section 13, and flows southwesterly into Lake Mendota, and also by Six Mile Creek, which enters the town on the northwestern part, on Section 6, flows southeasterly and empties into the Catfish on Section 27. The northeastern part of Westport is prairie land, the central and southeasterly portions marsh, and the remaining parts oak openings and prairie. Lake Mendota covers a part of five sections on the southern part.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Thk town of Westport is sitaated northwest of the city of Madison, and adjoining the town of Madison on the north, or north side of lake Mendota (Fourth Lake), a part of the lake heing within the limits of the town. The northern and western parts of the town are principally prairie, beautiful and u…
Madison, Dane County and surrounding towns1877 · page 298Read the page →
Read the text

Thk town of Westport is sitaated northwest of the city of Madison, and adjoining the town of Madison on the north, or north side of lake Mendota (Fourth Lake), a part of the lake heing within the limits of the town. The northern and western parts of the town are principally prairie, beautiful and undnlating in hilla, valleys and Jowlandj interspersed with groves of timber, or oak openings, while the sonthern part

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

Westport, 1854 to 1890

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1854Post officeThe Westport post office opens
  3. 1876Post officeThe Westport post office closes
  4. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Westport, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Farm with Four Silos - panoramio (3)2013Farm with Four Silos - panoramio (3)Buhler Farm2013Buhler FarmBridge Over Six Mile Creek2013Bridge Over Six Mile CreekBishops Bay Country Club2013Bishops Bay Country ClubWalter Farm2012Walter FarmCarl F. Statz ^ Sons Inc. Implement2012Carl F. Statz ^ Sons Inc. Implement
Famous people

Famous people close to Westport

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

See all →
John BardeenAmerican physicist and engineer · b. 1908
Thornton WilderAmerican playwright and novelist · b. 1897
Gena RowlandsAmerican actress · b. 1930
C
Chris FarleyAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1964
E
Eric HeidenAmerican speed skater · b. 1958
Liz CheneyUnited States Representative from Wyoming from … · b. 1966
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Westport had its own post office from 1854 to 1876.

Westport
1854–1876
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Catfish
Gone or out of use
Blackwoods SchoolschoolEndres Quarrymine
1cemetery inside Westport
Saint Mary of the Lake

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.

Waunakee1 historic placeCMadison143 historic placesAMiddleton3 historic placesB+Springfield1 historic placeA−Vienna1 historic placeB+

Questions about Westport’s history

What year was Westport founded?

The Westport post office opened in 1854, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Westport rank for history?

Westport is more historic than 29% of U.S. towns, #297 of 362 in Wisconsin. 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 Westport?

10% of Westport’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.9 points), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1991.

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 (6), Wikipedia, 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.