Stillwater Township, which was one of the first townships in Washington County, is an unusually shaped township in that it almost completely surrounds the city of Stillwater. The surface of the township is rolling and the soil is very good for agriculture. The township has many lakes, including Silver Lake, Loon Lake, Little Carnelian, Long Lake and Twin Lakes.
The Township was organized in 1858 and the first election of township officials took place at the house of Samuel Hoffman on April 3, 1860. The first officers elected were Cornelius S. Lyman, Howard Packard, and Henry A. Jackman, supervisors; Sylvanus Trask, clerk; Wallace Rutherford, treasurer; J.C. Gardner, assessor; C.S. Lyman, William T. Boutwell, justices of the peace; Daniel Houstin and W.T. Bishop, constables.
The first settlers in the township, outside the limits of the city of Stillwater, were D.P. and C.S. Lyman with their parents. The Lymans had staked a claim in 1843 but didn't actually move on to the land until 1846. Charles Macey and Walter Vail claimed land in 1845 but it was the same land and involved them in some altercations whereby Macey proceeded to stake out another claim. Rev. William T. Boutwell then purchased Vail's claim in 1848 and built a house on it. Other early settlers were Dr. James Covey and his nephews, S. and P. Trask; John McKenzie who settled in 1848; and the famous pioneer Joseph R. Brown, Jacob Fisher, and Alexander Wilcox, all of whom owned property in and around the city of Stillwater.
A government road was laid out in the township in 1848, running along the south boundary, and in 1858 a plat of 207 acres of land was purchased by the county to be utilized as the county poor farm. The poor farm was located in sections five and six and the original building could accommodate up to thirty persons. In 1924 the buildings were rebuilt and later the poor farm became the Pine Point Nursing Home. In the book "History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley," it says that "They [the patients] are apparently contented, and enjoy clean, well-kept apartments, and good wholesome food." The first overseer at the poor farm was Howard Packard. The poor farm also had a cemetery with over 40 persons buried in it. Today, the County neglects the cemetery and is now almost impossible to find.
Another cemetery called the "Home Cemetery" was created when William Rutherford donated a piece of land for burials. The first burial in this cemetery was his newborn child. The cemetery is now known as the Rutherford Cemetery.
The Stillwater town hall was constructed around 1886. According to the late Louise Johnson, a long-time Stillwater township resident, the hall was the scene of many social gatherings.
"There used to be a wooden railing in the center of the room," said Mrs. Johnson, " and people would dance around it. The dances were a big event and everyone looked forward to going." Mrs. Johnson also recalled the basket socials held at the town hall. A young lady would bring a decorated basket with a meal for two. The men then bid for the baskets. The highest bidder not only got the basket, but also shared the meal contained within the basket with the lady who made the basket.