Roxbury, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Roxbury is a town in Dane County
, Wisconsin
, United States
. The population was 1,700 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Roxbury
is located in the town.
most historic township". Among its earliest recorded occurrences is the Battle of Wisconsin Heights
, the penultimate engagement of the 1832 Black Hawk War
between the United States militia and the Sauk and Fox tribes, led by Black Hawk
. After being pursued from Illinois
, Black Hawk’s band took a stand against the militia just south of the Wisconsin River
, in what is today the Town of Roxbury. Although Black Hawk’s band took severe casualties, their stand allowed several hundred noncombatant Sauk and Fox to retreat to the Mississippi River
which saved their lives.
Five years later, Charles Floyd, an Eastern speculator, established a company whose goal was to build an exemplary city in the Midwest
. Floyd bought over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land in section 19 in Roxbury and had it surveyed. Then he drew up a map depicting streets, public buildings, and parks in what he called the "City of Superior", boasting that he would make the area known throughout the country. His map was circulated in Chicago, New York, and Boston, along with glowing descriptions of the city. Lots were sold to investors, including Daniel Webster
, but there were no settlers. The 1842 census showed only two residents in the town. Floyd’s grand plan had been a failure.
A settlement located across the Wisconsin River, in what is today Sauk City
, was the impetus for the next development in Roxbury. In 1840, Agoston Haraszthy
, a colorful nobleman and political refugee from Hungary
, arrived in the United States. By 1841, he had purchased a large parcel of land where Sauk City now stands. He also built a hunting lodge, opposite his home, on a bluff in Roxbury overlooking the river. For the next several years, Haraszthy was active as a trader, hunter, steamboat operator, and viticulturist, and his business activities attracted attention to the area. He established a ferry that crossed the river, connecting Roxbury with Sauk City (then named "Haraszthy"), and in 1841, Robert Richards and Jacob Fraelich, the ferry operators, became the first settlers in Roxbury after Haraszthy.
For several years, no other settlers appeared in the town. Then in 1845, Rev. Adelbert Inama, a Norbertine
missionary originally from the Tirol
in Austria
, arrived in the area. Impressed with what he found, Inama extolled the virtues of Roxbury to his superiors in Austria:
Inama’s active promotion of the area was instrumental in attracting immigrants, mostly from German territories, particularly Bavaria
. Within two years of his arrival, 15 families had settled in Roxbury.
Known as "the Apostle of the Four Lakes Region" because of his pioneering missionary work in the area, Inama established the first Catholic
church in Dane County in Roxbury. In 1845, he erected a log chapel in section 18 of the town. Church services were held there until 1853, when a small brick church was constructed.
Inama also acquired 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of land in the area, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of which had been donated by Haraszthy. Three acres were set aside for the construction of a church and a school. The remainder were sold to immigrants at cost, which was done to prevent speculators from preying on the naïve newcomers.
As an increasing number of settlers arrived, they called for their own local government, and in 1849 the area that is now the Town of Roxbury was detached from the Town of Dane (then known as Clarkson). The Town of Roxbury was formed by an act of the legislature on March 21, 1849. Burke Fairchild was elected the town's first chairman. In a vote held to select the town's name, two factions debated the issue. One wanted "Nelson", after Admiral Nelson
, the hero of the English wife of the town chairman; another wanted "Roxbury", after a town in New York where some of the settlers originated. A tie vote resulted in the secretary casting the deciding ballot for Roxbury.
Although many of the first settlers of Roxbury were Yankee
s, Inama’s work attracted an element that was heavily German. Within a short time, the original Yankee settlers moved on and Germans predominated. As the town grew, the small settlement of Alden's Corners developed in the southern part of the town, and at one time a post office was located there. By 1875 the population of the town had reached 1,151.
Having outgrown the church built only a few years earlier, a new one was constructed in 1857. Though it has been enlarged several times, the 1857 building remains at the core of the present church. Erected on a hill, the Romanesque Revival style church is a stately edifice overlooking a small settlement below. It is graced by a large altar painting depicting St. Norbert
and the allegory of life, which was donated to Inama in 1860 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria
.
St. Norbert’s Church has always been the centerpiece of the hamlet and focal point of the community. School was originally held in the basement of the church, until a separate school building was erected in 1864. A convent to house the Dominican
nuns who ran the school was erected in 1879. The only settlement in the town is the hamlet of Roxbury, which is centered around the church. At one time, the hamlet consisted of the church, school, convent, a blacksmith shop, an auto garage, two stores, a meat market, and a handful of houses, but now only the church, the school, a restaurant, and a tavern remain, and the school is no longer in operation, with the exception being religious instruction twice weekly. The number of houses in the hamlet has been increasing since the 1970s.
Because Roxbury was populated almost exclusively by Germans, German
was spoken in the community for over 80 years, well into the 1930s. Tradition has it that the Kelly family were the only ones in Roxbury who could not speak German. School classes at St. Norbert's were conducted in German until 1905, when they began to be taught half in German and half in English. For many years, the church also followed a German tradition of segregating the congregation during services, with men on one side and women on the other, married adults in the rear, single adults in the center, and children in the front. Local residents still refer to the hamlet of Roxbury as "the Dorf", German for village.
Given the proximity of the town to the city of Madison
, concerns have been raised about development in the town. As a result, the town's most recent comprehensive plan addressed a number of issues, including growth and economic development; land use and preservation; agricultural, natural, and cultural resources; community facilities; and housing. The key goals that were identified by residents of the town of Roxbury and delineated in the plan were to preserve agricultural land and agriculture as a way of life, to preserve natural resources and wildlife, to preserve areas of cultural and historic importance, and to carefully site and design new development so as to maintain the existing character of the town.
, the town has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which, 34.6 square miles (89.6 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (3.65%) is water. The land in the Town of Roxbury is hilly, with high limestone bluffs in the west adjoining the Wisconsin River. Throughout the town, small areas of prairie are interspersed with oak groves. In the north lie several small lakes, including Crystal Lake and Fish Lake. Springs, ponds, and creeks also dot the area. Aside from the small hamlet of Roxbury, the town is agricultural. A vineyard, the successor to one founded by Agoston Haraszthy, lies in the northwest, overlooking the Wisconsin River.
of 2000, there were 1,700 people, 603 households, and 499 families residing in the town. The population density
was 49.1 people per square mile (19.0/km²). There were 640 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.65% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.
There were 603 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.1% were married couples
living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 111.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,463, and the median income for a family was $63,542. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $29,118 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $24,708. About 3.9% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
traverses the town, running northwest-southeast. Wisconsin Highways 78 and 188 parallel the Wisconsin River along the western edge of the town.
Dane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,700 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Roxbury
Roxbury (community), Wisconsin
Roxbury is an unincorporated community located in the town of Roxbury, Dane County, Wisconsin, United States....
is located in the town.
History
Roxbury has been called "Dane County’sDane County, Wisconsin
As of the census of 2000, there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families residing in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile . There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile...
most historic township". Among its earliest recorded occurrences is the Battle of Wisconsin Heights
Battle of Wisconsin Heights
The Battle of Wisconsin Heights was the penultimate engagement of the 1832 Black Hawk War, fought between the United States state militia and allies, and the Sauk and Fox tribes, led by Black Hawk. The battle took place in what is now Dane County, near present-day Sauk City, Wisconsin...
, the penultimate engagement of the 1832 Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
between the United States militia and the Sauk and Fox tribes, led by Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
. After being pursued from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Black Hawk’s band took a stand against the militia just south of the Wisconsin River
Wisconsin River
-External links:* * * , Wisconsin Historical Society* * * *...
, in what is today the Town of Roxbury. Although Black Hawk’s band took severe casualties, their stand allowed several hundred noncombatant Sauk and Fox to retreat to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
which saved their lives.
Five years later, Charles Floyd, an Eastern speculator, established a company whose goal was to build an exemplary city in the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. Floyd bought over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land in section 19 in Roxbury and had it surveyed. Then he drew up a map depicting streets, public buildings, and parks in what he called the "City of Superior", boasting that he would make the area known throughout the country. His map was circulated in Chicago, New York, and Boston, along with glowing descriptions of the city. Lots were sold to investors, including Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts during the period leading up to the Civil War. He first rose to regional prominence through his defense of New England shipping interests...
, but there were no settlers. The 1842 census showed only two residents in the town. Floyd’s grand plan had been a failure.
A settlement located across the Wisconsin River, in what is today Sauk City
Sauk City, Wisconsin
Sauk City is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,109 at the 2000 census. The first incorporated village in the state, the community was founded by Agoston Haraszthy and his business partner, Robert Bryant...
, was the impetus for the next development in Roxbury. In 1840, Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California"...
, a colorful nobleman and political refugee from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, arrived in the United States. By 1841, he had purchased a large parcel of land where Sauk City now stands. He also built a hunting lodge, opposite his home, on a bluff in Roxbury overlooking the river. For the next several years, Haraszthy was active as a trader, hunter, steamboat operator, and viticulturist, and his business activities attracted attention to the area. He established a ferry that crossed the river, connecting Roxbury with Sauk City (then named "Haraszthy"), and in 1841, Robert Richards and Jacob Fraelich, the ferry operators, became the first settlers in Roxbury after Haraszthy.
For several years, no other settlers appeared in the town. Then in 1845, Rev. Adelbert Inama, a Norbertine
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
missionary originally from the Tirol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, arrived in the area. Impressed with what he found, Inama extolled the virtues of Roxbury to his superiors in Austria:
Inama’s active promotion of the area was instrumental in attracting immigrants, mostly from German territories, particularly Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Within two years of his arrival, 15 families had settled in Roxbury.
Known as "the Apostle of the Four Lakes Region" because of his pioneering missionary work in the area, Inama established the first Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
church in Dane County in Roxbury. In 1845, he erected a log chapel in section 18 of the town. Church services were held there until 1853, when a small brick church was constructed.
Inama also acquired 1200 acres (4.9 km²) of land in the area, 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of which had been donated by Haraszthy. Three acres were set aside for the construction of a church and a school. The remainder were sold to immigrants at cost, which was done to prevent speculators from preying on the naïve newcomers.
As an increasing number of settlers arrived, they called for their own local government, and in 1849 the area that is now the Town of Roxbury was detached from the Town of Dane (then known as Clarkson). The Town of Roxbury was formed by an act of the legislature on March 21, 1849. Burke Fairchild was elected the town's first chairman. In a vote held to select the town's name, two factions debated the issue. One wanted "Nelson", after Admiral Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
, the hero of the English wife of the town chairman; another wanted "Roxbury", after a town in New York where some of the settlers originated. A tie vote resulted in the secretary casting the deciding ballot for Roxbury.
Although many of the first settlers of Roxbury were Yankee
Yankee
The term Yankee has several interrelated and often pejorative meanings, usually referring to people originating in the northeastern United States, or still more narrowly New England, where application of the term is largely restricted to descendants of the English settlers of the region.The...
s, Inama’s work attracted an element that was heavily German. Within a short time, the original Yankee settlers moved on and Germans predominated. As the town grew, the small settlement of Alden's Corners developed in the southern part of the town, and at one time a post office was located there. By 1875 the population of the town had reached 1,151.
Having outgrown the church built only a few years earlier, a new one was constructed in 1857. Though it has been enlarged several times, the 1857 building remains at the core of the present church. Erected on a hill, the Romanesque Revival style church is a stately edifice overlooking a small settlement below. It is graced by a large altar painting depicting St. Norbert
Norbert of Xanten
Saint Norbert of Xanten was a Christian saint and founder of the Norbertine or Premonstratensian order of canons regular.- Life and work :...
and the allegory of life, which was donated to Inama in 1860 by King Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I of Bavaria
Ludwig I was a German king of Bavaria from 1825 until the 1848 revolutions in the German states.-Crown prince:...
.
St. Norbert’s Church has always been the centerpiece of the hamlet and focal point of the community. School was originally held in the basement of the church, until a separate school building was erected in 1864. A convent to house the Dominican
Racine Dominican Sisters
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Dominic of St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic religious order for women.The order was founded in 1862 in Racine, Wisconsin in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.The mother house is in Racine...
nuns who ran the school was erected in 1879. The only settlement in the town is the hamlet of Roxbury, which is centered around the church. At one time, the hamlet consisted of the church, school, convent, a blacksmith shop, an auto garage, two stores, a meat market, and a handful of houses, but now only the church, the school, a restaurant, and a tavern remain, and the school is no longer in operation, with the exception being religious instruction twice weekly. The number of houses in the hamlet has been increasing since the 1970s.
Because Roxbury was populated almost exclusively by Germans, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
was spoken in the community for over 80 years, well into the 1930s. Tradition has it that the Kelly family were the only ones in Roxbury who could not speak German. School classes at St. Norbert's were conducted in German until 1905, when they began to be taught half in German and half in English. For many years, the church also followed a German tradition of segregating the congregation during services, with men on one side and women on the other, married adults in the rear, single adults in the center, and children in the front. Local residents still refer to the hamlet of Roxbury as "the Dorf", German for village.
Given the proximity of the town to the city of Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, concerns have been raised about development in the town. As a result, the town's most recent comprehensive plan addressed a number of issues, including growth and economic development; land use and preservation; agricultural, natural, and cultural resources; community facilities; and housing. The key goals that were identified by residents of the town of Roxbury and delineated in the plan were to preserve agricultural land and agriculture as a way of life, to preserve natural resources and wildlife, to preserve areas of cultural and historic importance, and to carefully site and design new development so as to maintain the existing character of the town.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which, 34.6 square miles (89.6 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (3.65%) is water. The land in the Town of Roxbury is hilly, with high limestone bluffs in the west adjoining the Wisconsin River. Throughout the town, small areas of prairie are interspersed with oak groves. In the north lie several small lakes, including Crystal Lake and Fish Lake. Springs, ponds, and creeks also dot the area. Aside from the small hamlet of Roxbury, the town is agricultural. A vineyard, the successor to one founded by Agoston Haraszthy, lies in the northwest, overlooking the Wisconsin River.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,700 people, 603 households, and 499 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 49.1 people per square mile (19.0/km²). There were 640 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.65% White, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population.
There were 603 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.2% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 111.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,463, and the median income for a family was $63,542. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $29,118 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $24,708. About 3.9% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
U.S. Highway 12U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or US 12 is an east–west United States highway, running from Grays Harbor on the Pacific Ocean, in the state of Washington, to downtown Detroit, for almost . As a thoroughfare, it has mostly been supplanted by I-90 and I-94, but remains an important road for local travel.The...
traverses the town, running northwest-southeast. Wisconsin Highways 78 and 188 parallel the Wisconsin River along the western edge of the town.
Education
Most of the Town of Roxbury is served by the Sauk Prairie School District. A small southwestern portion of the town is in the Wisconsin Heights School District, while the northeast corner is in the Lodi School District.Further reading
- Keyes, Elisha W., ed. History of Dane County: Biographical and Genealogical. Madison, WI: Western Historical Association, 1906.
- Richards, Robert Jr. "Reminiscences of Robert Richards Jr. of Dane County Wisconsin, 1843-1855."
- "Roxbury" in History of Dane County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1880.
External links
- Wisconsin Historical Society Online Image Collection - Licensed historical photos of Roxbury
- Roxbury, a historic hamlet community in a magnificent countryside setting - Description and contemporary photos
- The Battle of Wisconsin Heights - Includes landscape photos of the Town of Roxbury
- Haraszthy [De Moksca), Agoston 1812 - 1869 Dictionary of Wisconsin History
- Inama, Adelbert 1798 - 1879 Dictionary of Wisconsin History