Walworth County, Wisconsin

Walworth County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Elkhorn
Year Organized: 1836
Square Miles: 555

Court House:

100 W Walworth, P.O. Box 1001
County Courthouse
Elkhorn, WI 53121-1769

Etymology - Origin of County Name

at the suggestion of Col. Samuel F. Phoenix, founder of the town of Delavan, named for Chancellor Reuben H. Walworth of New York -- History of Walworth County (Chicago, 1882), p. 315.

Walworth (1788-1867) was the last chancellor of that state (1828-48), the chancery court being abolished at the close of his term. He was known as a great equity jurist, and an early friend of the temperance movement.

[Source: Kellogg, Louise Phelps. "Derivation of County Names" in Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin for 1909, pages 219-231.]

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

Walworth County. created in 1836 as a territorial county, is named after Reuben Hyde Walworth, a jurist from New York. Located in southeast Wisconsin, the county seat is Elkhorn.

Description from John W. Hunt's 1853 Wisconsin Gazetteer: "WALWORTH, County, is bounded north by Jefferson and Waukesha, east by Racine and Kenosha, south by the State of Illinois, and west by Rock. It was set off Dec. 7, 1836, from Mil waukee The county seat is at Elkhorn, the centre of the county. The surface is for the most part undulating, but through its whole extent there are small bodies of level prairie or meadow land, and abrupt and irregular hills or knobs. A chain of these enters the county, about the middle of the northern line, and runs through the northwestern corner. The greater portion of the county consists of oak openings. There are some 12 or more prairies of limited size, exclusive of low lands and marshes. There are also a few small bodies of heavy timber. Of soil, there are many varieties. The prairie-high and low, the openings of white, black, and burr oak, all have their peculiarities of soil, and are all fitted in a high degree to the different productions of the country. The most considerable streams are the Geneva Outlet, Sugar and Honey Creeks, running eastward into Fox river and Turtle and Whitewater creeks, running westward into Rock river. These all head in the county, and are fed by springs. The population of the county consists mainly of people from the New England and other Eastern States. It ranks among the very first counties of the State for its intelligence, enterprize, fertility and wealth. The principal villages are Geneva, Delavan, Whitewater, Elkhorn and East Troy. Population in 1838,1,019; 1840, 2,611; 1842, 4,618; 1846,13,439; 1847, 15,039; 1850, 17,866; with 1,960 farms, 3,092 dwellings, and 82 manufactories."

WALWORTH,--Population 22,662.
From: Handbook of Wisconsin by S. Silas, 1855
pg. 106

Having good farming lands, was rapidly settled at an early day. The north part of the County is rolling, being openings, interspersed with small prairies and well watered, and dotted with numberless little lakes: The south-western part has more prairies, and they are of greater extent. The water-falls are numerous, but not sufficient to create any great power, but enough in all parts of the County, for mills. The soil is of an excellent quality, and well cultivated, and it is considered one of the richest Counties in the State. Elkhorn, the County Seat, is located in the geographical centre, and is a beautiful place. Whitewater, the only depot of the Milwaukee and Mississippi Rail Road in Walworth, is the largest place, and of some importance as a market for the surrounding country. Delavan and Geneva are good sized villages.

The Milwaukee and Mississippi--the Kenosha and Beloit--the Racine--the Wisconsin Central and the Rock River Valley Rail Roads all pass for a great or less distance through this Country. The Racine and Janesville Plank Road has its western terminus at Delavan.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 576 square miles (1,493 km²), of which, 555 square miles (1,438 km²) of it is land and 21 square miles (55 km²) of it (3.68%) is water.

Neighboring Counties:

Waukesha County (northeast)
Racine County (east)
Kenosha County (east)
McHenry County, Illinois (southeast)
Boone County, Illinois (southwest)
Rock County (west)
Jefferson County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Bloomfield	town
- Darien	village	Incorporated Area
- Delavan	city	Incorporated Area
- East Troy	village	Incorporated Area
- Elkhorn (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Fontana-on-Geneva Lake	village	Incorporated Area
- Geneva	town
- Genoa City	village	Incorporated Area
- Honey Creek	town
- La Grange	town
- Lake Geneva	city	Incorporated Area
- Linn	town
- Lyons	town
- Sharon	village	Incorporated Area
- Spring Prairie	town
- Springfield	town
- Sugar Creek	town
- Walworth	village	Incorporated Area
- Whitewater	city	Incorporated Area
- Williams Bay	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

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County Resource Guide

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