History & Heritage

On December 18, 1836, at the close of the Blackhawk War, the first settlers came to a place they later named Jefferson. The frame of a house fashioned at Bark Mills (Hebron) was brought up the river on a scow and elevated on a piece of ground, the present site of the Jefferson House. In 1838, the population of the settlement was increased by the arrival of W. Sanborn, A. Ebenezer and M. Seaton. In the spring of 1839, William Sanborn, an industrious resident who foresaw a growth pattern for Jefferson, built a two-story frame building on Main Street to serve as a hotel. After it was burned down, a nearly identical building called the Sawyer House was built on the same spot. It was razed in 1911-12 to clear the site for the present F & M Bank.

The Village of Jefferson was incorporated on April 13, 1857. The village grew and prospered, and an act of the Wisconsin legislature approved the incorporation of the Village of Jefferson as a city on March 19, 1878. At the time of its incorporation as a city, Jefferson had a population just under 3,000. There were kerosene lamps, coal and wood stoves, barns, hitching posts, dirt streets, and a horse-watering tank in the middle of Main Street. These things created a quaint, small-town atmosphere.

Centrally located in Jefferson County, Jefferson is the county seat. It is also situated at the fork of the Crawfish and Rock rivers. Today, Jefferson has a population of 7,300.

It was the vision, foresight, labor and perseverance of industrious inhabitants and elected officers throughout Jefferson’s history that have made Jefferson a “good city today” and a “better city in the future.”

Historical Society
The Jefferson Historical Society is the local history resource that serves the City of Jefferson, and holds an archive of photographs and a collection of historic artifacts. Jefferson has a rich history that dates back to 1836, and early settlers were of English descent and came from New York and other eastern states. Soon thereafter, immigrants came primarily from Germany and Eastern Europe. Jefferson is also a city of many churches and schools, and the historical society has a significant collection of information about these — on display in their new location in the lower level of City Hall. The historical society’s telephone number is 920-674-7731; fax number is 920-674-3011