Note: at the time of our Sesquicentennial, Audrey Christensen and Wally Petersen produced a 48-page newspaper “Saxeville Sesquicentennial Times”. It is an extensive documentary of our past. A copy may be obtained from any Town officer at no charge. To receive a copy mailed to you, send $5.00 to the Town Clerk.

   According to all records available, Justin Noble came here in 1849 and staked out a claim. Returning to Milwaukee that winter, he interested a sailor, Edward J. Saxe, captain of the "North Star", a schooner plying between Buffalo and Milwaukee. Saxe advanced $1500 toward building a mill on the Pine River.
   In October 1850, Saxe moved his family from Milwaukee. About that time he acquired full title to Noble's claim on which James Chaffin and son, James R., had erected a sawmill for Noble and Saxe.
   In 1851 Saxe built a frame house and a hotel. The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad was built into Berlin and was surveyed to Stevens Point, which caused a boom throughout this section.
   The flouring mill was built in 1853. The first store was kept by the Saxe brothers, Jacob W. Saxe having come here from Vermont and secured a government land grant on the surrounding land in 1852. The schoolhouse was built and school was established.
The Village of Saxeville was surveyed and platted in 1854.
   The next six years saw a great change in the village and surrounding locality, settlers were coming in from the eastern states, also from Ireland, Wales and Norway. Beside flour and saw mills the village boasted woodworking, blacksmith and wagon shops where farm implements were manufactured. The nearby settlers cut the Jack Pine and burned it into charcoal for the forges.
   July 1859 Edward Saxe received the appointment as Deputy U.S. Marshal. June 1, 1860 he began taking the census of the county. On October 5 of the same year he announced himself as candidate for sheriff on the Democratic ticket and was defeated in the November election.
   In September 1861 he began recruiting the Waushara Rangers for the Army of the North. 50 men enlisted from and around Saxeville, some of them mere boys of 15.
Everyone thought that the trouble would be over in a few months, and the boys would be home for the spring work, after spending the winter in the south. Little did they dream of the resources, courage and stamina of the fighting men of the South.
   Captain Edward J. Saxe was killed at the battle of Shiloh, April 6, 1861, along with Sgt. Williams and Pvt. Cyrus Howe. Among those killed in action or died of wounds or disease were Capt. Anthony Gallagher, 1st Sgt. Steven McNeely, Pvt. C. Smith, James Patterson, J.E. Miliken and about 20 others of the company.
   The history of Saxeville would be incomplete without mention of "Rebel Bell". This bell was taken from one of Confederate President Jefferson Davis' plantations near Corinth, Miss. and shipped home by members of Co. A 16th Reg. in 1862, to be placed atop the schoolhouse.
   During the Civil War, Nathaniel W. Miliken served as Deputy U.S. Marshal for this district, later becoming assemblyman, register of deeds and he also held other public offices. Retiring from public, office he ran the general store and post office for a number of years.
   John A. Williams conducted the mill, which had grown to a three-story structure on a new location. It ran day and night grinding flour and feed. He also bought dressed beef and pork, which he hauled into the north woods. It has been said that wagon trains of over a mile in length would leave the mill on their way to Shawano and the north!
   J.N. O'Cain had a woodworking shop on Waupaca Street where he manufactured grain cradles, furniture, or anything in wood that was wanted. Later B. S. Burson ran a blacksmith and gun shop in the same location. John Crandell was associated with him for a while, doing the woodworking, later Orin Halsey worked with him.
   Dr. H. C. Van Airsdale practiced medicine, ran a store, built an addition to his house and opened up a hotel, which was later known as the Saxeville House.
   W. B. Coburn had a shoe shop where he made boots and shoes. His specialty was calked boots for log drivers, having an eyelet in the instep and one in the toe to let the water out. He was also justice of the peace. Many were the criminal trials and civil cases tried in his court.
   In 1880 a new schoolhouse was built of brick. The bricks were made on the south side of the millpond. The "Rebel Bell" was transferred to the new building. The old schoolhouse was sold to the Baptist church and used as such for about 20 years. Later Dr. Van Airsdale bought it, moved it onto the next lot north and converted it into a dwelling house. It was torn down in 1947. In 1906 another story was added to the schoolhouse and it became a State Graded school.
   In about 1890 Saxeville suffered two disastrous fires. First Miliken's store and then the old hotel, known for many years as "Martin's Exchange" burned. Later the mill was destroyed by fire.
   In 1891 the Baptist people built a church on the north corner of Pine and Katherine streets.
  About 1895 Dr. Van Airsdale gave the old store building on the corner of Portage and Waupaca streets to the Congregational people. They remodeled it into a church. It was torn down in 1932.
   In 1898 the Lutheran church was built on Katherine street east of the junction with Willow, west of the cemetery. The same year George W. Jenks moved the post office to the southwest corner of Portage and Waupaca streets and started a grocery store.
   At the turn of the century Ernie Mathews bought the mill site and erected a gristmill, saw mill and skimming station, hauling the cream to Poy Sippi where he owned the creamery. The same year Dr. MacWain of Poy Sippi, built a telephone line from there to Saxeville later extending it on to the Soldiers Home. It was jokingly called The Tamarack Line because of the tamarack poles that held up the single wire. Dr. Van Airsdale sold his store and hotel and built another house and store on the south corner of Waupaca and Katherine streets. This store burned in 1910. Elmer Jeffers was running a grocery store there at the time.
   The first post office was established in Saxeville in 1853. Edward J. Saxe was the first postmaster. Mail came from Montello twice a week by stage. In 1855 Jacob W. Saxe was appointed in his brother's place. In 1857 N. W. Miliken was postmaster. The records show that in 1861 Henry Snyder held the office. N. W. Miliken took over again about this time and held the office until President Cleveland's first administration, at which time it went to H. C. Van Airsdale until President Harrison was elected, at which time Miliken took over again. When Cleveland was elected for the second time, Van Airsdale became postmaster for the second time. George W. Jenks received his appointment in 1897, retiring in 1940 on account of age. Fred W. Wood was appointed that year.
   The Saxeville Creamery Co. was organized in 1909 and a factory and house for the butter maker was built on what was originally the village green. The creamery burned in 1927. Glen Whitney was the first butter maker; Edward McCormac was the last one. Others that made butter here were William Stafford, Mannly DeGolier, George Jenson and Victor Erickson.
   In the fall of 1912 the "Saxeville House" and the adjoining general store burned. J. P. Erickson owned it at the time. The same year Emanuel Weisser and son Ray built a brick store on the northeast corner of Waupaca and Portage streets. In 1913 the road west from the village limits to the town line was paved with stone taken from George Peterson's fields.
   In 1931 the Saxeville Community Club was organized. The next year, securing permission of the town board, the club built a 20-foot addition on the town hall, all stage, where for seven years some of the best home talent entertainment presentations ever seen in the county were produced.
   In 1932 James Peterson built a filling station on the southeast corner of Katherine and Waupaca streets. In 1947 he and his son Glen erected a garage of cement blocks on the same site.