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As the United States developed westward, towns
and villages were built alongside roads and railway lines. The town of
Cross Plains was
settled along two major roads that crossed each other on a beautiful, fertile prairie. Within 20 years of the first town meeting in 1847, two more villages were established nearby, Christina and Foxville. Good farmland, abundant wildlife and business potential attracted people to the area. Two available railways were important to the growth of the villages. The first store in Cross Plains was opened around 1850 and was followed by hotels, a lumberyard, blacksmiths, a shoe store, churches, schools, harness shops, a post office, saloons and other businesses throughout the three communities. By the early 1900s a telephone company and volunteer fire department were providing service to the community. In 1907 a bank in Cross Plains was established and by 1920 all three villages were incorporated into the Village of Cross Plains. The strong forward-looking leadership that united the village is still shaping the Cross Plains of today. |
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Cross Plains -Berry Historical Society: Historical Society established in 1972. Church donated to historical society in 1989. Church built in 1886. |