114 topographic sheets cover 48 settlements here, and 50 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.
50 National Register listings published here · the county-history sources name 3 people · people the book names include History Of Walworth Count T. (Whitewater City, 1882) · General Early History (Linn Town, 1882) (machine-read).
Sources: the county history on the Internet Archive · the National Register database, National Park Service
Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 103 of them, burning about 309 acres. 2 started naturally and 11 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 44 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 38 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 11 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. One of them was set deliberately.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 November 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 476 |
| 1 April 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 March 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 46 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 55 |
| 29 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 172 |
| 15 June 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 241 |
| 8 April 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 153 |
| 7 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 137 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 573 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 41 injuries and about $28,329,400 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 325 |
| Hail | 135 |
| Tornado | 45 |
| Lightning | 22 |
| Flash Flood | 18 |
| Flood | 12 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 |
| Strong Wind | 2 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elkhorn | 12 hurt, $1,900,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Lightning | East Troy | 8 hurt | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Lake Geneva | 4 hurt, $350,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Elkhorn | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| June 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Geneva | 2 hurt, $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Lightning | East Troy | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| March 1966 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $2,500,000 | no account filed |
| April 1955 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1961 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | 1 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delavan | 1 hurt, $10,000 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitewater | 1 hurt | Powerful thunderstorm winds toppled a tree, which fell onto a car, injuring one person. |
| September 1997 | Lightning | Elkhorn | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| July 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Flash Flood | La Grange | $10,000,000 | Various road closures over the eastern half of Walworth County due to the flash flooding of creeks or the pooling of water in low spots after 3.50-8.00 inches of rain. Walworth County declared an emergency. Road closures near Springfield, Abells Corners, south and east of East Troy. Also, widespread flooding and road closures in and around Elkhorn after 3.26 inches of rain in an hour. The water flowed into some businesses and the Huber Dorm. Some cars were stranded in deep water. Residents of the Bud Motors Trailer Park in the Town of Lyons evacuated due to flooding from the White River. Also in Lyons, the Ore Creek flooded and destroyed a portion of the foundation of a home. Ten additional homes were flooded and there were extensive roadway washouts in the area. |
| November 2010 | Tornado (EF1) | Walworth | $1,000,000 | A tornado moved into extreme south-central Walworth County from Illinois about 5,100 feet west of the intersection of Alden Road and State Line Road, and quickly intensified to EF-1 rating. It moved northeast for over 5 miles before dissipating about 1,700 feet southeast of the intersection of County Road BB and Zenda Road. Five homes sustained damage, with two homes severely damaged. The tornado crossed CTH B where it dog-legs east of Swamp Angel Rd. Collectively, three sheds and two barns were damaged, with one of the barns flattened. Eight wooden power poles were also snapped, along with numerous trees and fences. On one farm, 4 cows, and several chickens and turkeys were killed by tornado debris. WeEnergy Utility reported about 4000 homes without electrical power in the county due to downed power-lines. The average path length was 60 yards in width. The EF1 estimated wind speed of 105 mph was based on DI 2(FR12) DOD 4. The loss estimate was produced by Walworth County Emergency Management. The exact start location is Lat 42.49507 Lon -88.56948. The exact end location is Lat 42.53464 Lon -88.47970. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Walworth | $850,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tibbet | $800,000 | Law enforcement officials reported trees and power lines down in a 5-mile wide swath from northeast of Tibbets to east of Elkhorn due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 knots (69 mph). Corn crops were also blown down by the damaging winds. Two county salt storage sheds off of County Highway NN in Elkhorn were also severely damaged by the thunderstorm gusts.Winds caused the paneling of one shed to collapse into the structure. The roof of the other shed was lifted from it's foundation, damaging electrical utilities attached to it and adjacent buildings before settling back down. Officials estimate it will cost $800,000 to repair the sheds. Trees also toppled over onto the Lauderdale Lakes Management district's community center on the corner of Sterlingworth Drive and U.S. Highway 12. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Delavan | $525,600 | Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across mostly the northeast part of Walworth County. Water depths on road surfaces reached 3 feet or more and there were gravel washouts. Soem roads were closed. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 23 with minor damage (total of $183 thousand for home losses). There were no business losses. Crop losses were estimated at $4.254 million. Public sector damage was about $342.6 thousand. Some roads and bridges sustained damage. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Sharon | $400,000 | Tornado started near the Illinois state line and tracked northward toward Delavan Lake. A number of farm outbuildings had roofing panels lofted off of them and a subdivision south of Delavan Lake had a number of large trees toppled. Tornado appeared to end north of Lake Lawn Resort, which had some tree damage to it. |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF1) | Troy | $392,000 | The tornado started northwest of County Road ES, west of Interstate 43, south of East Troy where it heavily damaged two barns. Corn stubble was noted to be deposited from the corn field to the west all along a path through a cemetery up to Interstate 43. Some tree damage was noted along Alpine Valley Golf Course. The tornado then moved along County Road D and caused additional damage to some barns and outbuildings along with numerous trees. The tornado ended somewhere south of County Road D and northwest of Valley View Road. |
| July 2000 | Flash Flood | Pell Lake | $346,000 | no account filed |
| April 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sharon | $300,000 | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Tibbet | $250,000 | Downburst winds toppled numerous large trees in the area north and northeast of Tibbet around the Lauderdale Lakes. Twenty-five homes sustained tree damage, and some power lines were pulled down. |
| September 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sharon | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1980 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 1972 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| September 1972 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 1967 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1965 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1957 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Delavan Arpt | $150,000 | Tornado appeared to begin on the north end of Delavan Lake with some of the worst damage occurring in a subdivision northwest of Williams Bay where a number of houses lost portions or most of their roofs. Damage continued southeast through Lions Park and the Williams Bay Lakefront Park before ending over Geneva Lake. |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Whitewater | $150,000 | Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across a good part of Walworth County. Water depths on road surfaces reached 3 feet or more and there were gravel washouts. State Highway 59 was closed in Whitewater. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 10 with minor damage (total of about $50 thousand in damage). There were no business losses. Crop losses were estimated at $1 million. Public sector damage was about $100 thousand. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | East Troy | $150,000 | Powerful, hurricane-force thunderstorms winds knocked down many trees, power-lines, and an old silo. Additionally, part of a roof of a barn was ripped off, a concrete wall of a machine shed was blown in, and 2 semi tractor-trailers were blown over on Interstate-43. Peak wind gusts were estimated at 78 knots (90 mph), but this number could be 9 knots (10 mph) too low or too high. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Whitewater | $150,000 | Several rounds of thunderstorms with heavy rains on top of a saturated ground resulted in scattered flash flood events across the entire county of Walworth. Fast-flowing water reached depths of 6 inches to 2 feet at the following locations: STH 11 just east of STH 89 (about 3N of Darien), Plank Road just northeast of Elkhorn, Highway 12 and Potter Road, CTH L near East Troy, and several roads around Richmond. Johnson Creek and Turtle Creek areas between Richmond and I-43 exceeded flood stage. At least a couple dozen homes had water damage to basement contents, or sewage backups. Two basement walls of a home in the Civil Town of Lafayette, or about 2 miles east-northeast of Elkhorn, collapsed. Some soil erosion and minor crop damage were noted in the county. A couple minor landslides occurred along the shoreline of Geneva Lake.||August, 2007, rainfall totals include: 12.83 in Genoa City, and 12.67 in Whitewater. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Sharon | $150,000 | Low-end flash flooding affected scattered parts of Walworth County. Areas affected were the city of Lake Geneva, the village of Sharon, the town of Lyons, and the Town of Spring Prairie. Overnight rainfall amounts on top of a nearly saturated ground ranged from around 3 inches over the southern parts of the county to 4 to 6 inches over the northern parts, based on WSR-88D doppler estimates. Water depths on some roads in low spots reached 2 to 4 feet, and significant soil erosion was noted in the surrounding countryside. At least 20 homes sustained minor flood damage to basement contents. Altogether, residential damage was estimated at $31,000. Gravel shoulder washouts on some roads will require an estimated $19,500 to repair. The Sharon Department of Public Works sewer pumps were damaged by flood waters, and repair costs are estimated at $6,200. No major crop losses were reported. At a location 4ENE East Troy, 5.83 was measured overnight. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Darien | $150,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF1) | Darien | $133,000 | The tornado appeared to start north of School Section Rd and west of Old 89 Rd with mainly tree damage going to the east-northeast. The tornado then tracked along State Road 11 going east toward Delavan. About 4 farmsteads had damage to them, including one empty silo that was blown down from about halfway up. The tornado then continued east-southeast along Hwy 11 and ended near Redwood Ct on the west side of Delavan where it caused some tree damage. |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF1) | Richmond | $124,000 | Multivortex tornado documented southwest of Richmond. Multiple sheds with sheet metal damage along County Highway M before entering Walworth County. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Darien | $100,000 | Brief tornado went through mainly rural lands, but did hit a horse barn where farmers were actively feeding their horses. No injuries occurred, but a door blew in and nearly hit one of the farm workers. |
| June 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Linton | $100,000 | Tornado believed to have started east of the Abbey Springs Golf Course via eye witness accounts and tree damage in the area. Tornado went out over Geneva Lake and hit on the north side of the lake near Elgin Club Dr before going northeast and likely ending over Lake Como. Mainly widespread tree damage but some severe damage to a dock was documented on the north end of Geneva Lake. Plankings from the dock were thrown about 500 yards to the northeast from it's location with canopy material found scattered throughout the tree tops northeast of the location. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Walworth | $100,000 | Tornado damage path which damaged a barn and shed and also caused 16 power lines to be snapped. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF1) | Sharon | $100,000 | Tail end of the tornado that began in northern Illinois and tracked just to the southeast to northeast of Sharon. A few barns had roofing damage to them. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Como | $100,000 | Tornado damage started at the Geneva National Golf Club and went due north along Prairie Rd and County Rd H. The most substantial damage was to a storage facility which had a high volume of roofing material lofted about a mile north of the facility. |
| November 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Fontana | $100,000 | Widespread tree damage and power outages in the Village of Fontana-On-Geneva-Lake. Dozens of roads blocked by fallen trees. At least 14 homes sustained structural damage due to fallen trees. A roof blown off a home. A green house destroyed. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Whitewater | $100,000 | A considerable number of trees and limbs down in Whitewater. Some trees or limbs down on homes and vehicles. Roads were closed due to the large number of trees blocking the roads. No electricity into the next day with schools cancelled. A corn dryer on Howard Road was disconnected from its gas line, thereby causing a fire. |
| August 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Lake Geneva | $100,000 | An EF1 tornado caused a sporadic path of damage. The most severe damage was significant roof damage to 4 buildings that were warehouse buildings and metal building systems. One of those buildings sustained a collapsed wall. There was minor damage to a mobile home and a barn. A couple large retail signs were destroyed. There were many trees uprooted and snapped. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delavan | $100,000 | Law enforcement officials reported 20 buildings were damaged and around 40 trees and numerous power lines downed by a thunderstorm microburst with wind gusts estimated at 70 mph (61 knots) along a 2 mile-long, 1/4 to 1/2 mile-wide path through the City of Delavan. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delavan | $100,000 | Local newspapers reported trees and power lines down in and around the town of Delavan due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 knots (80 mph). The severe wind gusts felled 40 trees and damaged roofs and gutters on buildings at Lake Lawn Resort on the northeast side of Delavan Lake. |
| January 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Pell Lake | $100,000 | This tornado inflicted minor damage on 3 structures and moderate damage on 2 structures in the County of Walworth (homes/pole sheds/barn), and uprooted or damaged a couple dozen trees. It spun up very near a drainage ditch/creek just west of West Court/Center Drive which which branches west from CTH U. This tornado crossed into Kenosha County about 0.4 mile north of where CTH U in Walworth County crosses the county line and becomes CTH F in Walworth County. It contiuned for several miles in western Kenosha County. The average path width was about 50 yards in Walworth County. The winds were estimated at 93 mph (DI 1 - SBO, DOD 5). The specific starting location in Walworth County was 42.54884,-88.33343, and the ending location in Walworth County was 42.56342,-88.30533. Refer to the western Kensoha County tornado event to see a map plot of the entire tornado path. |
| April 2008 | Lightning | Whitewater | $100,000 | Lightning struck a home and resulted in a fire that extensively damaged the roof and 2nd story. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Darien | $100,000 | Powerful thunderstorm wind gusts toppled several large trees and broke branches that brought down some power-lines. At least 6 homes sustained damage due to tree debris in the Walworth to Williams Bay area. |
| August 1998 | Flash Flood | Whitewater | $100,000 | no account filed |
| September 1997 | Lightning | Walworth | $100,000 | no account filed |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF1) | Delavan | $99,000 | Tornado appeared to begin along Turtle Creek west of Klug Rd and south of County Road M. The tornado destroyed an open facing barn shed along Klug Rd. It then tracked to the northeast and caused damage to 3 barns, a garage and a house along County Road P. It then continued to the northeast and crossed Dam Rd before ending near Turtle Creek again. |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF1) | Delavan Lake | $83,000 | The tornado began west of Quinney Road and tracked to the southeast, hitting 4 barns as it tracked across farmland west of Elkhorn. |
| July 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Richmond | $80,000 | A machine shed was completely destroyed. A roof of a modern pole barn was removed. Visible damage to a shed. A 2 by 4 lodged inside a vehicle with the windows blown out. Trees snapped and fields of corn partially blown over. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Delavan | $70,000 | A line of severe thunderstorms resulted in 6 trees downed, 52 large tree limbs down, 17 power lines down with some on fire. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF0) | Walworth Big Foot Ar | $60,000 | Tornado originated in northern Illinois and came across the border into Walworth county before ending south of Geneva Lake. Damage occurred to a couple of farm outbuildings. |
| March 2023 | Tornado (EF0) | Richmond | $50,000 | Several trees toppled and uprooted. Minor fascia damage. Sheet metal roof damage. |
The Survey's mineral resources record lists 32 workings inside this county. 9 still produce and 23 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.
| Commodity | Workings |
|---|---|
| Sand and Gravel, Construction | 30 |
| Stone | 1 |
| Stone, Crushed/Broken | 1 |
The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draeger Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Own Crews | Stone | Unknown | ||
| Ames Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Ames Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Army Lake Sand Deposit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence | ||
| Casey Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Community Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Devil's Hill Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Harness Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Home Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Home Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hopkins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hopkins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Jolliffe Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Koehl Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Mann Brothers, Inc. | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mauritz Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mawhinney Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Meyers Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Nelson Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| O Malley Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Paddock Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Potter Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Richmond Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Ryan Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| S and W Dairy Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Schutt Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Stewart Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Swoboda Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Triebold Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Triebold Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Williams Bay Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
History of Walworth County, Wisconsin .. devotes a chapter to each township: its boundaries and streams, who settled it and when, the mills, the schools and the churches. All 20 are reproduced here in full. Each row shows the township's own shape and where it lies in the county, drawn from the Census Bureau's boundary. Which settlements belong to which township is computed from that same boundary, not taken from the book.
2 books written about this county, cut here where the book itself is cut, at its printed chapters: 26 chapters in all. Every chapter is public domain, machine-read from the scan and reproduced complete. A chapter already given under one of the county's towns is not repeated in this list.
| Chapter | Length |
|---|---|
| Chapter 6 | 172,156 words in 11 parts |
| Chapter 1 | 13,575 words |
| Chapter 2 | 37,299 words in 3 parts |
| Chapter with an unread heading (no. 4 of those read) | 42,123 words in 3 parts |
Everyone History of Walworth County, Wisconsin .. stops to write about, with the section that describes them. Among them are the men who founded the place and governed the Territory. Each name opens the passage itself, in the words of 1912.
Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
East Troy town · 53120 · Near Twin Islands · East Troy quadrangle
24 sheets, 1892 to 1980
No longer a settlement
Fontana-on-Geneva Lake village · 53125 · On Potawatomi Creek · Walworth quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1980
Genoa City village · 53128 · On East Branch North Branch Nippersink Creek · Richmond quadrangle
17 sheets, 1926 to 1992
La Grange town · 53121 · Near Dewings Island · Little Prairie quadrangle
32 sheets, 1892 to 1980
La Grange town · 53121 · Near Deakin Island · Little Prairie quadrangle
32 sheets, 1892 to 1980
Linn town · 53147 · Lake Geneva quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1980
No longer a settlement
Walworth village · 53184 · On Van Slyke Creek · Walworth quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1980
Whitewater city · 53190 · On Spring Brook · Whitewater quadrangle
32 sheets, 1892 to 1980
Williams Bay village · 53191 · On Harris Creek · Walworth quadrangle
19 sheets, 1893 to 1980
The vanished settlements of Walworth County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.
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