# Morrisonville, Wisconsin

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Former unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States

Morrisonville, Wisconsin Former unincorporated community Morrisonville post office Morrisonville Show map of Wisconsin Morrisonville Show map of the United States Coordinates: 43°16′38″N 89°21′34″W / 43.27722°N 89.35944°W / 43.27722; -89.35944 Country United States State Wisconsin County Dane County Elevation 961 ft (293 m) Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT) ZIP code 53571[1] Area code 608 GNIS feature ID 1569760[2]

**Morrisonville** is a neighborhood in the village of [Windsor](/source/Windsor_(town)%2C_Wisconsin), in [Dane County](/source/Dane_County%2C_Wisconsin), [Wisconsin](/source/Wisconsin), United States, approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of [Madison](/source/Madison%2C_Wisconsin).[2][3] The [Yahara River](/source/Yahara_River) flows through the community. The main road running through Morrisonville is County Trunk DM, which connects from State Highway 51 approximately 8 miles (13 km) to the village of [Dane](/source/Dane%2C_Wisconsin). At each entrance into the town on DM is a welcome sign calling Morrisonville "Frogtown U.S.A."[4]

## History

This section needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Morrisonville, Wisconsin" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Morrisonville is named after James Morrison, a Scottish [immigrant](/source/Immigration) who had settled in the area by June 6, 1843. He purchased approximately 290 [acres](/source/Acres) of land from the [United States government](/source/United_States_government). He and his family originally lived in a temporary shelter above the headwaters of the [Yahara River](/source/Yahara_River) before moving into a log structure that was expanded and firmly established by 1851.[5]

### Morrisonville Depot

In the 1860s construction began on the [Milwaukee Road](/source/Milwaukee_Road) railroad. Morrison sold 43 acres (170,000 m2) of land to a prospective railroad company in 1862 on the contingency that a station be built in the area where Morrison and his family lived. It is not known exactly when construction began on the **Morrisonville depot**, but the structure was designed by [J. U. Nettenstrom](/source/J._U._Nettenstrom) based upon the exact designs of the [Summit](/source/Summit%2C_Waukesha_County%2C_Wisconsin) and Pierpont depots. The Madison and Portage Railroad Company formed on August 9, 1870, in order to build a portion of the railroad spanning from [Madison](/source/Madison%2C_Wisconsin) to [Portage](/source/Portage%2C_Wisconsin) and received aid from [Madison](/source/Madison%2C_Wisconsin), [Portage](/source/Portage%2C_Wisconsin) and other neighboring towns. The original depot was 20' by 48' long, made entirely of wood, and located on the eastern side of the railroad tracks running through Morrisonville. The adjoining, double-doored freight room measured 20' by 27' long. The depot was sold and moved after passenger service on the railway was ended. The Depot is currently owned by the Morrisonville Depot Preservation Society and in the process of being restored and moved, to the North, one block. Property has been purchased by the MDPS (Morrisonville Depot Preservation Society) one block North of the present depot location. Spring of 2013 is the tentative time frame for move to the new site.

Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station DeForest toward Madison Madison – Portage Arlington toward Portage

### Post office

The local [post office](/source/Post_office) was established on May 10, 1871. Because another town in Wisconsin was named [Morrison](/source/Morrison%2C_Wisconsin), the government added "ville" to distinguish between the two, thus giving Morrisonville its name.

### Flourish and later decline

Sometime in August 1871 the [railroad](/source/Rail_transport) was activated. The railway was leased and later sold in 1878 to the [Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad](/source/Chicago%2C_Milwaukee%2C_St._Paul_and_Pacific_Railroad). In the early years of Morrisonville and into the 20th century, the railroad brought much business and commerce to the community. Many residences and businesses, including a hotel and stable, were established. A large number of goods, including tobacco, passed through the town, making it a local center for commerce.

By the mid-20th century, travel and commerce on the railways had declined greatly and passenger service for the Madison to Portage railroad ended in 1952.[5] A local [feed](/source/Fodder) company bought the depot and moved the building to the location in which it sits today.

## Morrisonville today

Morrisonville is served by the [Canadian Pacific Kansas City](/source/Canadian_Pacific_Kansas_City) railroad. The post office remains in its original location, with an addition housing local county equipment, such as a snowplow. The hotel is now a residence and has been renovated. The train depot sits in an otherwise bare lot and is visible from all sides. The original bar and brothel, which were one building during the peak of the railroad business, are now two buildings on separate lots.

In 2015 the town of Windsor which Morrisonville is located within voted to incorporate into a village, prior to that Morrisonville was an unincorporated area within the town.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Morrisonville ZIP Code"](https://www.zipdatamaps.com/53571). zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-gnis_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-gnis_2-1) ["Morrisonville, Wisconsin"](https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1569760). *[Geographic Names Information System](/source/Geographic_Names_Information_System)*. [United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey), [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Morrisonville, Wisconsin](http://wisconsin.hometownlocator.com/wi/dane/morrisonville.cfm)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Town of Windsor Meeting Minutes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20061005152438/http://www.ci.windsor.wi.us/080205parkminutes.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.ci.windsor.wi.us/080205parkminutes.htm) on October 5, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2009.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-web.archive.org_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-web.archive.org_5-1) Englesby, John H. ["Morrisonville and the Morrisonville Depot: A Brief History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060214092541/http://www.geocities.com/morrisonvilledepot/Morrisonville_Depot_History.html) Accessed August 12, 2006

## External links

- [Village of Windsor](http://www.windsorwi.gov/)

- [Morrisonville Preservation Society, Inc.](http://www.morrisonvilledepot.com/)

[43°16′39″N 89°21′34″W / 43.277455°N 89.359488°W / 43.277455; -89.359488](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Morrisonville,_Wisconsin&params=43.277455_N_89.359488_W_type:landmark_region:US)

v t e Municipalities and communities of Dane County, Wisconsin, United States County seat: Madison Cities Edgerton‡ Fitchburg Madison Middleton Monona Stoughton Sun Prairie Verona Villages Belleville‡ Black Earth Blue Mounds Brooklyn‡ Cambridge‡ Cottage Grove Cross Plains Dane Deerfield DeForest Maple Bluff Marshall Mazomanie McFarland Mount Horeb Oregon Rockdale Shorewood Hills Waunakee Windsor Towns Albion Berry Black Earth Blooming Grove Blue Mounds Bristol Burke Christiana Cottage Grove Cross Plains Dane Deerfield Dunkirk Dunn Madison Mazomanie Medina Middleton Montrose Oregon Perry Primrose Roxbury Rutland Springdale Springfield Sun Prairie Vermont Verona Vienna Westport York Unincorporated communities Albion Ashton Basco Daleyville Deansville Door Creek East Bristol Forward Hoffman Corners Kegonsa Kingsley Corners Klevenville London‡ Lutheran Hill Martinsville Marxville Mount Vernon Nora Norway Grove Paoli Pine Bluff Riley Roxbury Rutland Seminary Springs Springfield Corners Stone Token Creek West Middleton Neighborhoods Fitchburg Center Hope Lake Windsor Morrisonville Middleton Junction Oak Hall Indian reservation Ho-Chunk Indian Reservation‡ Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties Wisconsin portal United States portal

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Morrisonville, Wisconsin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisonville%2C_Wisconsin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morrisonville%2C_Wisconsin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.