Baruch Schleisinger Weil, a Jewish-American immigrant from Strasbourg, Alsace, laid the village's foundation when he bought 2,000 acres of land in Washington County on November 1, 1845. He soon built a general store to serve local farmers, loggers and Native Americans, and later opened a distillery. Other merchants and manufacturers, including blacksmiths, shoemakers, wagon makers and tanners, began settling in the area, which was called "Schleisingerville" in Weil's honor. For the first two decades of its history, the community was part of the Town of Polk, which was organized on January 21, 1846.