Prior to settlement the Town of Vernon was composed of sugar maple & white oak forests, savanna & marsh from which the Potawatomi derived food, medicine, shelter, tools & fibers.
On Nov. 1, 1836 Prucius Putnam, John Dodge & brothers Curtis & Orien Haseltine, Jr. arrived from Vermont, & built a log hut near present day Hwy L & Maple Ave. They named the area "Vernon".
Arriving settlers consisted of Scots, Germans, Irish & Norwegians, primarily coming from Vermont & New York.
The prairie soil was turned under for farming. The maples were tapped for sugar and used, along with the oak & black walnut, to build houses and plank roads. Allen Haseltine was the first settler child born here in 1838.
A highly crafted cobblestone home was erected in 1842.
The Vernon Reformed Presbyterian Church arose in 1854. In 1857 the Waukesha County Poor House began its 40 years of service by accepting an abandoned child. In 1896 various churches, grocery stores, 7 cemeteries & 6 post offices had been established in Vernon.
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