Chilton’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Chilton. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The first residents of Chilton were African-American former slave Moses Stanton and his Native-American wife, Catherine, who arrived in January 1845. The city formed around his saw mill and a grist mill a few years later.
The village was originally called Stantonville. John Marygold bought the place in 1852 and, according to legend, called it "Chilington," referring to Chillington Hall in England. He sent a verbal message to have the name change recorded in Stockbridge, then the county seat. Because the middle ing in the name was accidentally omitted, the municipality was recorded as Chilton.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Chilton’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chilton’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewHenry Kaiser, twelve-year old bee…, 1915: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Chilton
See all 7 →
Chilton, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Henry Kaiser, twelve-year old beet worker from Potter, Wisconsin, working on farm near Chilton. See Hine Report, Wiscon… (1915) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (1), the Library of Congress (3) and the National Register (2). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.