Emergency Information
NOTICE OF MEETING CHANGE
The monthly meeting of the Northfield Township Supervisors has been changed from Thursday, August 8th 2024 to Wednesday, August 7th 2024 at 6:30pm.
Northfield Township - General Information
Northfield Township is a small rural community located approximately 30 miles south of Minneapolis – St. Paul and 30 miles northeast of Rochester, Minnesota.
The township was organized in 1858 and named for John W. North. The township covers an area of 38.9 square miles. The governing authority consists of a board of three Supervisors each elected by township residents to serve a 3-year term. Also serving on the board is a Treasurer and a Clerk, each elected by township residents to serve a 2-year term.
The primary responsibility of the board is to execute the care of township roads, conduct elections and coordinate with neighboring townships and cities as well as the county regarding roads, planning issues and general public safety. Northfield Township currently includes orderly annexation agreements with the Cities of Northfield and Dennison.
Upcoming Events
History of the Northfield Township Hall
Information for this history was taken from the Northfield Township Minute Books.
Marjorie Randolph, Northfield Township Clerk (1968-2018)
On April 25, 1884, the Board of Supervisors of Northfield Township met at the office of the clerk to consider bids for the building of a town hall. Until this time, meetings of the township residents had been held at the farm of D.H.Orr, where a building was rented for $5. Only one bid was submitted for the new hall. This was from Charles Merrill for $620, and the bid was not accepted.
The supervisors met again on June 23, 1884, and at this time, J.E. Cook was paid $5 for the preparation of plans for the proposed town hall. Those on the board in 1884 were William Hildebrandt, A.L. Huseby, and John Miller as Supervisors, E.J. Horr as Treasurer and John Koester as Clerk.
On October 9, 1884, the supervisors met at the new town hall to inspect the building. The building was accepted and full payment of $600 was paid to Joseph Tiffany for the building of the hall. The insurer of the town hall was the Home Insurance Company at a cost of $12.50. Theador Miller was paid $4.50 for chairs for the hall. Other costs were $1.25 for a lamp and $2 for fence posts.
The first annual meeting held in the new town hall was on Tuesday, March 10, 1885. From that time on, the building was used for township meetings, and it was also used by the Big Giants 4-H Club for monthly meetings. Over the years, some modifications were made to the heating, lighting, and siding of the building. The town hall was used for over 115 years.
At the annual meeting in March of 2000, it was decided to build a newer township hall at this same location of the intersection of 110th St. and Jacobs Ave. The hall was built over the summer months of 2000, and it was first used for the Primary Election in September 2000. Members of the Township Board when the new hall was built were: Willard Estrem, Mike Groth, and Brian Peterson as Supervisors, Karen Zimmerman as Treasurer, and Marjorie Randolph as Clerk
Many township residents expressed the desire to have the old township hall moved to another site and have it preserved. The hall was donated to the Rice County Steam and Gas Assn., and in the fall of 2001, it was moved to their site along Hwy 3, near Dundas. It will be part of the pioneer village they have planned for this location. This historic building will continue to be of use to the community, and it can be visited by those for whom it holds special memories.