Lafayette County, Wisconsin
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 13 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1970. Most listings are in or near Darlington, Shullsburg, Willow Springs.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Wisconsin is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Lafayette titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP8 of 13 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
13 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Benton Stone Water Tower | Benton | 1999 |
| Darlington Carnegie Free Library | Darlington | 2022 |
| First Capitol | Belmont | 1970 |
| Gratiot House | Shullsburg | 1980 |
| Lafayette County Courthouse | Darlington | 1978 |
| Main Street Historic District | Darlington | 1994 |
| Mottley Family Farmstead | Willow Springs | 2001 |
| Pecatonica Battlefield | Wiota | 2011 |
| Prairie Spring Hotel | Willow Springs | 1999 |
| St. Augustine Church (Additional Documentation) | New Diggings | 1972 |
| Star Theatre | Argyle | 1980 |
| Water Street Commercial Historic District | Shullsburg | 1990 |
| Welty, Daniel and Catherine Barn | Darlington | 2024 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBLafayette was formed in 1847 (1847-05-01) from Iowa.
LAFAYETTE created by Wisconsin Territory from IOWA.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusLafayette County population from 1850 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1850 | 1860 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,531 | 18,134 | 21,279 | 20,959 | 20,002 | 18,695 | 18,137 | 18,142 | 17,412 | 16,137 | 16,611 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS40 cemeteries and 2 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 40 of 40 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Andrews Cemetery |
| Apple Grove Cemetery |
| Brown Cemetery |
| Calvary Cemetery |
| County Line Cemetery |
| Eastman Cemetery |
| Fayette Cemetery |
| Gratiot Cemetery |
| Hoffman Cemetery |
| Holy Rosary Cemetery |
| Immaculate Conception Cemetery |
| Kingsley Cemetery |
| La Due Cemetery |
| Lamont Cemetery |
| Masonic Cemetery |
| McNett West Cemetery |
| Miller Cemetery |
| Mount Hope Cemetery |
| Old White Oak Springs Village Cemetery |
| Our Lady of Hope Cemetery |
| Pleasant View Cemetery |
| Providence Cemetery |
| Ray - Pilling Cemetery |
| Saint Matthews New Catholic Cemetery |
| Saint Michaels Catholic Cemetery |
| Saint Peters Cemetery |
| Schwartz Cemetery |
| Shawnee Cemetery |
| Strawberry Cemetery |
| Trinity Johnson Cemetery |
| Union Cemetery |
| Union Grove Cemetery |
| West Ella Highland Cemetery |
| West Wiota Lutheran Cemetery |
| White Oak Springs Cemetery |
| Willow Springs Cemetery |
| Willow Springs Cemetery |
| Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Yellowstone Lutheran Cemetery |
| Zion Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 2 of 2
| Name |
|---|
| Ipswich |
| Yellowstone |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
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Search HMdb for Lafayette County, Wisconsin
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