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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
Sandwich’s early settlers look back upon the community’s beginnings, preserving firsthand memories of the people, places, and events that shaped the young town.

H. W. Fay Recalls the Early Days of Sandwich
Horace W. Fay, who prepared the original 1854 plat of Sandwich, recalls the railroad’s arrival and the earliest years of the town he helped lay out.

Sandwich in 1860: An Outside Observer Describes a Young Town
A visiting newspaper correspondent describes Sandwich in 1860: a rapidly growing railroad town with busy stores, substantial homes, plank sidewalks, newly planted shade trees, and an eye on the approaching presidential election.

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