Town 4 north of range 16 east was set off March 21, 1843, from the town
of Elkhorn and named for an estate or country-seat of the hero, of three
revolutions, Marquis de Lafayette. It lies next southward from Palmyra,
in Jefferson county.
James Holden made the first lawful claim to land within the town, a
square-mile on Heart prairie, early in 1837. Other early followers:
Amasa Bigelow, James Burt, Gabriel Cornish and sons, Edwin DeWolf, George
Esterly, Volney A. McCraken, True Rand and Benjamin Swett.
The first tavern license was granted in 1839, to Elijah Worthington.
1839 also brought a saw-mill at the entrance of Honey creek or Mill lake,
at the Troy line and was followed by a grist mill known as the Williams
mill and as the Lean mill.
A church was built early at Heart Prairie by the Methodist society
and a Union church was built at Lagrange.
