In 1879 Mr. VanDyke and Mr. Hagerman, financiers, purchased a three-fourths interest, arranged for railroad extension because of the good work done in this mining region by Mr. N.P. Hulst and called the mine in Florence in honor of Mrs. Florence Hulst, his wife. This name was first applied to the iron mine, then to the town and county. The following is an account of the letter sent to Mrs. Florence Hulst on December 15, 1879 by Mr. J.J. Hagerman President of the Menominee Mining company:
Mrs. Hulst -- The time is come when we must give a name to the new town in Wisconsin at the end of the Railroad now building, and to the new mine in the vicinity, now called the Eagle, but which name we do not wish to keep, as there is already an Eagle P.O. in Wisconsin. The Company owns all the land around the lake, where the town will be located. It will be a lively town. We shall put an anti-whiskey clause in all deeds and we expect it will be as much noted for its temperance and morality as for its -- well, anything the future may develop. We all wish to call the new town and the mine FLORENCE, in honor of the first white woman who had courage enough to settle (for a while) in that rugged country. I mean the first white woman known to us.
Will you permit your name to be used?
Thus the town and mine had been given a name, a very prim and proper name!
Because of the mine people rushed into the region and by 1880 Mr. Fisher laid out the townsite, putting a number of lots upon the market. He said he would put the lots in at government prices selling the ordinary lots from $100.00 while the corners sold for $150.00.
In sixty days Mr. Fisher had sold $60,000 worth of realty. The population at this time was 50 people. In a short time a blast furnace was put up as was a foundry, five coal kilns, a large sawmill and a cheese factory.
The Town of Florence Office is located at 749 Central Avenue. It is in the corner of the Community Center building. The mailing address for the Town of Florence is P.O. Box 247; Florence, WI 54121.
Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to noon and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Click on Shelly's name or Jessica's name to e-mail them.
This page was last updated: December 10, 2020
Town of Florence, Wisconsin
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Did you know that you can check to see if your absentee ballot was recorded?
Did you know that you can also check your election participation -- whether or not you voted in an election?
In Wisconsin, you can do both of those things and more.
What can you do on the MyVote website?
- You can check your voter registration status (to see if you are registered)
- You can register to vote (or reregister to vote if you moved or changed your name)
- You can request an absentee ballot
- You can track your absentee ballot as well -- meaning you can see when your request was submitted, when your ballot was mailed to you, and when it is received back in our office
You can also see your past election participation (the elections you have voted in), see your elected officials, find your polling place information, see a sample ballot and more.
All you need to be able to access the MyVote website is your name and your date of birth.
Please note: The 2020 Real Estate and Personal Property Tax Bills were mailed out on
December 3, 2020. After the tax bills are printed and mailed out, there are three ways that you can find out how much money you owe on your tax bill.
1. Florence County website available at www.florencecountywi.com (or click hereto go directly to the site). On the right side of the page you will see “Florence County Quicklinks.” Click on the item “Property Tax Records,” which will be towards the bottom of the list. Here you can search by name or by parcel number. Once you have the correct record, select “taxes” on the top of the page. Make sure that you select the proper tax year to see the amount due. Information is available about 1 week after tax bills have been distributed by the county treasurer to the township clerks. This is usually the first or second week of December.
2. You can investigate tax amounts at the Town Office located at 749 Central Avenue, Florence, WI. Office hours are Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lunch is from 12:00 to 12:30. After February 1, the County Treasurer will have the most up-to-date and complete records for the current year's taxes.
3. You can investigate tax amounts from the County Treasurer office located at 400 Lake Avenue, Florence, WI . Phone 715-528-3204. County Treasurer’s office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Lunch is from 12:00 to 12:30.
For full payment and first installment payments, please make check or money order payable to the Town of Florence and mail to: Town of Florence; P.O. Box 247; Florence, WI 54121. To insure getting proper credit, enclose the payment stub and/or the parcel number(s) of the properties they are to cover. All envelopes must be postmarked before midnight of the deadline and be in my office within 5 days of the deadline. Receipts will be mailed to the address on file. If you need a receipt mailed to a different address, enclose as self-addressed stamped envelope.
Payment(s) in Person:
Due to social distancing guidelines: Only three (3) tax payers will be permitted inside the building at one time. As an alternative, you can place a payment in the drop off box located next to the office door and a receipt will be mailed to you. Please do not place cash in the drop off box.
Payments in person are accepted; “however, payments made by mail, whenever possible, will be appreciated.” Please bring your tax statement(s). If you are paying with cash, bring the exact amount as only a very limited amount of cash is kept on hand at the office. Please note: we are unable to accept debit or credit card payments at this time.
Real Estate Tax Bills
Payments in the full amount will be accepted up by the Town up to and including January 31.
An after-hours drop-off box is located next to the Town Office door for your convenience. If you drop off a payment, please enclose it in an envelope. A receipt will be mailed to you. Please do not put cash in the drop-off box.
If you choose to pay under the 2 payment plan, the first installment is due to the Town of Florence by January 31. The second installment is payable to the Florence County Treasurer at the Florence County Courthouse, P.O. Box 410, Florence, WI 54121 by July 31.
Any real estate payments made after January 31 should go directly to the Florence County Treasurer.
If you have an escrow account, it is your responsibility to see that your mortgage company receives the tax bill.
Personal Property Tax Bills
Payment in the full amount only will be accepted up to and including January 31, payable to the Town of Florence.
There are no installment payments on Personal Property Taxes except for buildings on leased lands only, which would be accepted under the two payment plan.
Any Personal Property payments made after January 31 should go directly to the Town of Florence.
Plowing snow across town roads is prohibited. It creates a dangerous situation for traffic and safety hazards for all those who travel that road. As the property owner, you are responsible for the plowing being done on your property—even if you are paying someone else to remove the snow for you.
Wisconsin Statute 346.94(5) states that no person may place or cause to be
placed upon a highway any substance that is or may be injurious to any vehicle.
A pile of snow certainly fits this description. Wisconsin Statute 346.95(3) says that the penalty is $50 for each offense. Citations will be issued, and no warnings will be given.
Other plowing regulations:
You are not permitted to pile snow or block the sidewalks or fire hydrants.
Parking on town roads and streets shall be prohibited so that plowing can be done quickly and with safety. The parking ban is in effect between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Vehicles in violation will be towed away and tickets will be issued.
