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One of the reasons Baldwin was given the
title of the "Biggest Little Town in Wisconsin" is that the
volume of mail that came through the village post office was
very high when it was compared percentage-wise to the
population. But some residents theorize that the label
originated because, quite simply, the people here are
friendly.
The Municipal Center, which houses the
village's administrative offices, library, and senior
center, is located at 400 Cedar Street. A municipal court,
street maintenance, and sewer and water departments are
operated by the village. A mandatory recycling program is
monitored by the St. Croix County Planning Department.
Baldwin's police department is available
24 hour a day, consisting of six full-time officers. The
ambulance service is also available 24 hours a day, staffed
with up to 20 volunteer EMTs. A 911 emergency service is
available.
The Baldwin Fire District was
consolidated in January, 1994, to include 13 municipalities
in the area, including villages of Baldwin, Hammond,
Woodville and Wilson, and the townships of Baldwin,
Springfield, Hammond, Emerald, Pleasant Valley, Rush River,
Eau Galle, Erin Prairie and Cady. The move brought the ISO
rating up to #4, and increased the efficiency of the
operation by offering the services of total of 80 volunteer
members and 13 trucks.
Baldwin's electricity is provided by Xcel
Enery. Baldwin Telecom, Inc. facilitates phone service and
cable T.V. hook-up. WE Energies provides natural gas. The
St. Croix Electric Co-op provides and maintains rural
electrical services.
The Baldwin Bulletin, locally published
weekly newspaper, has been a family owned publication since
1892. It is available in area shops, as well as by
subscription.
Local developers have recently opened up
new subdivisions of multiple and single family dwellings, as
well as custom and executive estates. Spec homes and land
plots for building on are also available. Curb and gutter
and all municipalities have been installed. The new
developments are found to the north, east and southwest of
the village.
Baldwin has an active development group
to assist new and existing businesses. There are four
financial institutions in the village. Professional services
include several attorneys, accountants, veterinarians and
health care professionals. The newly remodeled Baldwin Area
Medical Center, offers a complete range of quality health
services.
-A History of Baldwin -
The
village of Baldwin did not just appear. It was a dream
formulated in the mind of a Vermont man who literally made
his dream come true. The Honorable Dana Reed Bailey, a young
lawyer at heart, owned hundreds of acres of land in this
area and realized that the railroad would be building
somewhere right near his land. He suffered from poor health
and wanted to go west to improve. He decided he would try to
get the railroad through his land and build a large saw mill
and flour mill. His father-in-law, Mr. Clapp, already owned
part of a small saw mill operation just south of Baldwin
about one mile. The mill was called Daniell's Mill by some
and Clapp's Mill by others. Mr. Clapp turned his interest of
the operation over to D. R. Bailey. Mr. Bailey came west to
this very area and got to work making a town out of his
farm. He also kept a large portion of his land and made the
"Messenger" farm where he became famous for his great
shorthorn purebreds.
When the train first came through on the
bitter cold night of November 24, 1871, there was a group of
people sitting around a fire near the depot waiting to go
east on the train. That same train brought in the A. C.
Ayerses who were one of the first families from Vermont to
come make their home in this place. The depot was first
called Clarkesville after the first railroad agent here but
was later changed by the railroad authorities to Baldwin to
honor their president of the West Wisconsin Railroad, Mr.
D.A. Baldwin. You see, if it hadn't been for Mr. Baldwin,
the train would not have come through for several years and
if it hadn't been for the train coming through, Mr. Bailey
would never have started our village!
Baldwin was called the "hub" of St.
Croix. It grew like a wild fire spreads, rapidly. Within a
year, there were many homes and an amazing number of
businesses. It had three hotels in a short period of time
and even they could not house all of the travelers. As soon
as a house was built, there were ten families wanting to
rent it. People then felt that Baldwin would grow into a
large city! It was very exciting place to live in the 1870's
and 80's. Today, it is a more relaxing place to live. The
Windmill Park lends a beauty to all those who pass on Hwy.
63. Stop in and visit with our attendants who are at the
Windmill from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Material taken from
Baldwin Telecom Directory written by Sandy Burleigh.
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