"The Village of Hortonville was founded by Alonzo E. Horton in 1848 when he purchased land from the Governor of Wisconsin, which is now the Township of Hortonia and the Village of Hortonville. The land cost him seventy cents an acre! Later, in 1855, he traveled to California and there founded the City of San Diego. In his old age, Mr. Horton returned to Hortonville for a visit and was surprised to see how the Village had prospered. Alonzo Horton was born in 1813 and died at the age of 96 years." (Village Directory and Commemorative History June 1976)

"Always an opportunist, Alonzo Eratus Horton saw the challenge of gaining riches in land speculation. He was born in Connecticut in 1813 and came to Milwaukee in May, 1836, later purchasing a home in Jefferson County about 1840 or 1841. His first wife, Sally Wright, whom he married in 1841, died five years later. He did not marry again until 1861, by which time he had left the area.

(Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

Proceeds from the summer Hortonville Homecoming each year support community projects sponsored by the Commercial club.

The first homecoming were held on Main St. after the club organized in 1929.

Ten years later club members purchased park land known as the "Fair Ground" from the Outagamie County Agriculture Society. The first Homecoming on park land paid off the $1,600 mortgage.

World War II shortages suspended homecomings for two years. Except for those years, the celebration has always been the third weekend in June.

The Commercial Club was incorporated on April 17, 1929. Otto A. Reinke, Joseph P. Platten, Fred N. Torrey, Vincent M. Freiburger and Enoch C. Otis signed the original Article of Organization.
Reinke was the first club president with Walter L. Schroder, vice president; Leonard R. Schwartz, secretary.

From the Start, Commercial Club Projects were a success.

(Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

By Leona Mech

In 1852, William W. Briggs, a lumberman, came from Maine, and went into the lumbering business when he arrived in Hortonville. It took $50 to start house-keeping and his remaining $100 went into his business, when along with David Briggs and H. B. Sanborn, they secured the unsold portion of the village plat, and the saw mills.

Briggs, with Ira Hersey and Sanborn, built the first grist mill at Hortonville, thus adding to the comfort of settlers.

Soon afterward the property was divided with David Briggs taking the saw mill and timber land, and William Briggs and Sanborn taking the grist mill and village plat.

At that time the finest lumber rafted down the Wolf and through the lake to Fond du Lac brought only $4.50 a thousand.

After 18 years Briggs moved to Appleton, where in 1874 he built the Brigg's house.

(Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

The Hortonville community Hall, 312 W. Main St., was entered on the "national Register of Historical Places" by the United States Secretary of the Interior on January 23, 1981.

Community Hall, Hortonville

This property is entitled to benefits and protections of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 as amended.

It will receive limited protection from encroachment by federally assisted or licensed projects or state facilities development projects, and is eligible to receive federal matching grants for research, restoration, acquisition or stabilization.

Criteria used in selecting sites for the National Register include those places that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.

"One of the first match factories of the world was started in Hortonville. It was located on the corner of Lincoln and Nye Streets. The one story building had high windows and was unpainted because there was no paint available.

A gas plant, which was located on Mill Street just on the north side of Black Otter Creek, furnished the power to light the lamps that were on poles on the streets. These were replaced by electric lights in 1918.

The first road leading from Hortonville was the road to Appleton, built by Reeder Smith, a resident of Appleton. First it was a corduroy road, which means a road made of long pole, then it was planked, and later replaced by concrete.

In 1873, Hortonville was serviced by its first railroad, built by the Milwaukee Lake Shore & Western Railroad Company from Manitowoc. In 1885 it was purchased by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.

(Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

Hortonville has had a regular Lutheran preaching station since 1867.

But members of the Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church date their anniversaries from August 14, 1870 - the dedication of their first church building.

In January of 1897 the congregation voted to build a new church on the corner of Nash and Embarrass Sts. Five days later the first stones were hauled for the basement of the church.

Less than three months later bids were opened for the building of the church. The bid was let to the local Diestler Lumber Co. for $5,165. Later $500 was added to the total.

The cornerstone of the new church was laid Sunday, June 13, 1897. The church was dedicated Sunday, Nov. 28, 1897. That day, the second English service in the history of the congregation was conducted.

The present church is solid brick in Gothic style. The church tower is about 100 feet high. An extensive remodeling of the original building took place 1960.

(Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

By Leona Mech
The city of Hortonville dates its origin from the earliest settlement of the Township of Hortonville.

Both were named for the same man, Connecticut born Alonzo E. Horton, who was also the first settler.

In the winter of 1847-8 settlers in the prairie or sparsely timbered counties to the south and southwest needed shingles. Knapp Brothers made hand-shaved shingles in a cabin on the site of Hortonville. At this place they were merely squatters, and it is doubtful if they were actually settlers in Outagamie County.

Supposedly, a small colony of settlers from Ohio, known as the "Buckeye Farmers" settled near Hortonville, early (1848?) but did not remain long in that area. They moved on to the west where presumably land was easier to clear.

"Father" Horton, as he was called, founded Hortonville on March 3, 1848 when he came to claim the land he had bought for 70 cents an acre on soldier land warrants he obtained at the end of the Mexican War.