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New Town Hall

The Town of Highland is the largest in area of the northeastern Douglas County towns.  In 1887, Highland was separated from the original Town of Superior along with the old Town of Brule and was a part of the greater Town of Nebagamain.  It became The Town of Highland in 1907 (along with Hawthorne and Solon Springs).  Highland’s Upper Brule with its springs had long been a magnet to settlers and visitors, and to Native Americans well before the creation of Douglas County in 1854.  There is cluster of small lakes in the southeastern corner of the town with many seasonal cottages to go with permanent homes.

The earliest town hall was built in 1924 and still stands today, although it is owned privately.  A forest fire in 1936 consumed many acres in the south part of Highland and burned the Volker School as well.  Highland saw a total of four schools in the past:  The Hazel Prairie and Frances E. Willard Schools in the north, and the Volker and Spring Bank Schools to the south.  The next town hall was built in 1937 by the WPA, was once an archery club on the land of John Ordway.  It became the Town Hall in 1940.  This building was used until 2007 when a new Town/Fire Hall was built.  Sears was the name of the post office that operated from 1905-1908 during the logging heyday.  The Sears homestead and post office, and all other settlements in this section of Highland are only a memory, having been absorbed into the Brule River State Forest.  

The Highland Fire Department was established around 1948.  The Highland Town Cemetery was donated to the town in 1962 by Ida (Mrs. John) Degerman.  The cemetery was dedicated to Ida’s memory in 1967.  There have been several Brule River resorts operated over the years, beginning in the late 1800s.  John and Ida Degerman ran Valley Farm Lodge and the rustic cabins were open for deer hunters as well as fisherman.

Old Town Hall