Watertown was considered to be one of the area's most advanced and promising cities well before Wisconsin ever became a state. In 1836, the first white settler, Timothy Johnson, came exploring the Rock River Valley. At what is now the southwest corner of the city, he claimed 1,000 acres after recognizing the value of the rapids and the spring of good water nearby. In six years, a town government was established and by 1849 Watertown (formerly known as Johnson's Rapids), had become a village. In 1853, just seventeen years after Johnson first settled, Watertown had become a city and adopted a charter. Two years later, it had become the second largest city in Wisconsin with a population of 8,512.

These 8,512 people consisted mainly of former New York State residents and German and Irish immigrants. One of these German Immigrants was Carl Schurz, who later became a great U.S. Statesman, renowned for his role in Abraham Lincoln's presidential victory.

Schurz's wife, Margarethe Meyer Schurz, helped make Watertown history in another way. She began what is now the foundation of the American education system - the first kindergarten. She had brought this German idea of education with her from Europe. The schoolhouse in which she first taught her pupils stands restored as a historical landmark within the city.

About this time another settler, John Richards from Massachusetts, was completing the Octagon House, one of Wisconsin's most popular landmarks. This eight-sided, 57-room home, featuring a long spiral staircase and an ingenious cistern system that provided then non-existent running water, soon became the admiration of all throughout the area.

Today, the Octagon House still stands on its original site, maintained by the Watertown Historical Society. In addition to its guided tours, the society occasionally hosts concerts and recitals for public entertainment.
Watertown Historical Society 920-261-2796

Other components of Watertown history include its major role in Wisconsin railroad development and the famous local practice of goosenoodling that began in the 1850's. This is the art of force-feeding geese "noodles" made of meal that resulted in rapid weight gain, and subsequently, large livers. The delicacy pâté de fois gras was made from the liver, and thus, "Watertown Goose" achieved a spot on restaurant menus across the nation.

Watertown's Viehmarkt, another tradition arising from the newly arrived Germans, was an open-air market where produce, livestock and rafts were sold in the city business district. Today, Viehmarkt is known as Fair Day and is held monthly, attracting area residents as well as local farmers.