Vesper is a village in Wood County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. The population was 584 at the 2010 census.

History

The village of Vesper began to form in the early 1870s when Girard and Drake built a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

on Hemlock Creek to process lumber from the surrounding forests. Their firm also started a store and blacksmith shop. A post office called Vesper opened in 1878. The village was named after

vesper sparrow The vesper sparrow (''Pooecetes gramineus'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. It is the only member of the genus ''Pooecetes''. Taxonomy The Vesper Sparrow is believed to be most closely related to the Lark sparrow. It is the only species ...

s native to the area. In 1894 a wildfire swept in from the woods and burned the mill, along with 23 houses on the west side of the creek. After the fire, the surrounding stump-land was sold to farmers. The village of Vesper was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1897 or 98. Carsten Otto started a creamery in 1898. In 1902 John Murgatroyd & Sons started the Vesper Brick & Tile Factory, which operated until the start of

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A two-room brick school was built in 1906. In 1907 The Vesper Wood Manufacturing Company began making stave silos and watering tanks out of wood. The State Bank of Vesper opened in 1911. The village incorporated in 1948.

Geography

Vesper is located at (44.481016, -89.967423). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 584 people, 246 households, and 160 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 264 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 246 households, of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.0% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the village was 36.4 years. 22.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 541 people, 234 households, and 153 families living in the village. The

was 482.2 people per square mile (186.5/km²). There were 243 housing units at an average density of 216.6 per square mile (83.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.71%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.18%

, 0.18% from

, and 0.74% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.74% of the population. There were 234 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the village was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $36,161 versus $20,833 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $19,327. About 6.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Clifford R. Goldsworthy, Wisconsin State Representative, farmer, and businessman, lived in Vesper; Goldsworthy was the town chairman and postmaster in Vesper.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1907,' Biographical Sketch of Clifford R. Goldsworthy, pg. 1177

References

External links

Vesper Photograph Collection, McMillan Memorial Library

History of Wood County CHAPTER XVIII Vesper
* Plat maps:
19091928
{{authority control Villages in Wood County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin