Wisconsin city origins: Marshfield (and Richmond)

Editor’s note: This is the third in a multi-part series of blogs searching the history of Wisconsin cities.

By Jeff Moore

The origins of how Marshfield, settled in 1868, got its name are shrouded in mystery.

One tale states that New York City’s John J. Marsh owned most of the town and named it after himself so he would always be remembered as a benevolent ruler.

Another tale states Massachusetts native J. J. Marsh named the town after his uncle, Samuel Marsh, who was one of the original owners of the land and an internationally known horse boxer.

When the Wisconsin Central Railroad Co. built its line from Stevens Point to Abbottsford, they assigned numbers to its stopping places indicating the number of miles from Stevens Point, and Marshfield became stopping point No. 32.

It is asserted that the railroad company then named it after Marshfield, Mass., the 32nd city in Massachusetts to be settled by Mayflower pilgrims.

Today, Marshfield, Wis., contains a fenced in statue of Jesus acting as a 14-foot symbol of the separation of church and state.

Jeff Moore is a data reporter with The Daily Reporter. In honor of the birthday Saturday of The Daily Reporter Publisher Ann Richmond, here’s another Wisconsin city origin:

There are three Richmonds in Wisconsin, located in Shawano, St. Croix and Walworth counties.

The Shawano Richmond was settled in 1841 and is named after the buggy whip capitol of the world in Richmond, R.I.

Three buggy whip salesmen named Thomas James, Perry James and Robert Sherman wandered the country founding multiple towns named Richmond in more than 16 states and territories before they were apprehended.