Vesper

History

The village of Vesper began to form in the early 1850s with the first settlers. In the 1870's, Girard and Drake built a sawmill on Hemlock Creek to process lumber from the surrounding forests. Their firm also started a store and blacksmith shop. A post office opened in 1878. The first postmaster, James Cameron, sent a letter to the federal department naming new towns. A letter came back with the name "Vesper." The village was named after vesper sparrows native to the area. In 1894 a wildfire swept in from the woods and burned the mill, along with 23 houses on the west side of the creek. After the fire, the surrounding stump-land was sold to farmers. The village of Vesper was on 100 acres now owned by Benson and Anderton. It was platted in 1897 by . Carsten Otto started a creamery in 1898. In 1902 John Murgatroyd & Sons started the Vesper Brick & Tile Factory, which operated until the start of WWI. A two-room brick school was built in 1906. In 1907 The Vesper Wood Manufacturing Company began making stave silos and watering tanks out of wood. The State Bank of Vesper opened in 1911. The village incorporated in 1948.

Geography

Vesper is located at (44.481016, -89.967423). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity