Editing Vesper, Wisconsin

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Vesper, Wisconsin
| settlement_type    = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = File:Wood County Wisconsin Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Vesper Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Vesper in Wood County, Wisconsin.
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Wood County, Wisconsin|Wood]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 2.99
| area_land_km2      = 2.99
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.16
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.16
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census">{{cite web |date=May 2023 |title=Census Bureau profile: Vesper village, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Vesper+village,+Wisconsin |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 13, 2025}}</ref>
| population_total   = 513
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 334
| elevation_ft       = 1096
| coordinates        = {{coord|44|28|52|N|89|58|3|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code|Zip code(s)]]
| postal_code        = 54489
| area_code          = [[Area codes 715 and 534|715 & 534]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 55-82650<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1576070<ref name="GR3" />
| website            = http://www.villageofvesper.com/
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Vesper''' is a village in [[Wood County, Wisconsin|Wood County]], [[Wisconsin]], United States. The population was 513 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].

==History==
[[File:Vesper VFD.jpg|thumb|Vesper Vol. Fire Department|right]]
The village of Vesper began to form in the early 1850s with the first settlers. In the 1870's, Girard and Drake built a [[sawmill]] on Hemlock Creek to process lumber from the surrounding forests.<ref name="Rudolph 84">{{cite book | url=http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/files/docs/placenames.pdf | title=Wood County Place Names | publisher=The University of Wisconsin Press | author=Rudolph, Robert S. | year=1970 | pages=84}}</ref>  Their firm also started a store and blacksmith shop. A post office opened in 1878. The first postmaster, James Cameron, sent a letter to the federal department naming new towns.  A letter came back with the name "Vesper."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=WI&county=Wood&searchtext=&pagenum=3 | title=Wood County | publisher=Jim Forte Postal History | access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> The village was named after [[vesper sparrow]]s native to the area.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA134|year=1908|page=134}}</ref> In 1894 a wildfire swept in from the woods and burned the mill, along with 23 houses on the west side of the creek.<ref name=HOWC>{{cite book |last1=Jones|first1=George O.|title=History of Wood County, Wisconsin|date=1923|publisher=H.C. Cooper, Jr & Cooper|location=Minneapolis|pages=228–231|url=http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=turn&entity=WI.JonesHist.p0242&id=WI.JonesHist&isize=L|access-date=April 30, 2019}}</ref>

After the fire, the surrounding stump-land was sold to farmers. The village of Vesper was on 100 acres now owned by Benson and Anderton. It was [[plat]]ted in 1897 by .<ref name="Rudolph 84"/> 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]]. 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.<ref name=HOWC/> The village incorporated in 1948.<ref name="Rudolph 84" />

==Geography==
Vesper is located at {{coord|44|28|52|N|89|58|3|W|type:city}} (44.481016, -89.967423).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|1.16|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all of it land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012  }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1950 = 342
| 1960 = 351
| 1970 = 355
| 1980 = 554
| 1990 = 598
| 2000 = 541
| 2010 = 584
| 2020 = 513
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=November 18, 2012}}</ref> of 2010, there were 584 people, 246 households, and 160 families living in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|503.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 264 housing units at an average density of {{convert|227.6|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 96.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.7% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.2% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.1% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] 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 [[Marriage|married couples]] 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 [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 541 people, 234 households, and 153 families living in the village. The [[population density]] was 482.2 people per square mile (186.5/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 243 housing units at an average density of 216.6 per square mile (83.8/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the village was 98.71% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.18% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.18% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.18% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.74% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] 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 [[Marriage|married couples]] 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]] for the village was $19,327. About 6.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], 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.<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1907,' Biographical Sketch of Clifford R. Goldsworthy, pg. 1177</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.mcmillanlibrary.org/vesper Vesper Photograph Collection, McMillan Memorial Library]
* [http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/mcm/wood_county/images/00000018.pdf History of Wood County CHAPTER XVIII Vesper]
* Plat maps:  [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=article&did=WI.AtlasWood09.i0012&id=WI.AtlasWood09&isize=L 1909] [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=article&did=WI.AtlasWood28.i0006&id=WI.AtlasWood28&isize=L 1928]

{{Wood County, Wisconsin}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Wood County, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Villages in Wisconsin]]