William C. Schuette
E6140 Sunrise Rd., Reedsburg, WI 53959-9541
Home: (608) 727-4334 Cell: (608) 415-9877
e-mail: wschuettel@frontier. corn
Early History of Westfield Township
The town of Westfield, Sauk County, Wisconsin, was organized in 1854. It was named by Chauncey P. Logan (the founder of Loganville) in honor of his former home village in Westfield, Massachusetts.
The first settlers were: R. Sprague, 1850; Horace Smith, Martin Davey, Lyman Twist and John Mepham.
The first school in the township was Bacon School, 1852.
The first religious services were held in 1853 by Rev. Butler, a Methodist circuit rider. The German Methodists built the first church building in 1859.
The first Town Chairman was J.K. Thompson.
The first post office was located in Loganville in 1855.
The township was originally settled by Yankees, who planted hops, which made many rich. But by 1880 the hop boom went bust, and many ended up in bankruptcy. They were not interested in the daily routine of dairying, so when the Germans arrived, they bought the farms at bargain prices and began raising cows. At that time the population was three-quarters German.
By 1893, creameries were abundant throughout the township, and the era of mechanized milk processing began in Westfield.
In the early 1920s, rural farmers saw the need for more modern conveniences, and electric power lines were run throughout the township. Farmers in Westfield could tie onto the lines if they put up their own poles and paid $350 for the hookup.