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Sandwich began as a small prairie settlement in the 1850s, growing quickly after the arrival of the railroad. Early newspaper accounts and later recollections help us understand what the town looked like during its first decades. The pieces below provide rare glimpses of Sandwich as it was seen by visitors and remembered by those who helped build the community.

• When the Settlers Told Their Story: The Old Settlers Meet
  “In the month of June, 1851, just 46 years ago, I left a temporary home in Troy, New York… With no certain point of destination in view, but fully determined to make for myself a home somewhere in the Great West…”
• H. W. Fay Recalls the Early Days of Sandwich
  Written during Sandwich’s 1910 home-coming celebration, H. W. Fay’s recollection looked back to the town’s earliest days. He recalled stage routes through Freeland Corners, the merchants and tradesmen who served the young community, and the early leaders who helped shape Sandwich during its formative years.
• Sandwich in 1860: An Outside Observer Describes a Young Prairie Town
  A visiting correspondent for the Chicago Tribune describes Sandwich only a few years after the town appeared on the prairie, noting its rapid growth, busy stores, and newly planted shade trees.