[5] Richland Center was founded in 1851 by Ira S. Haseltine, a native of Andover, Vermont.

Haseltine was drawn to the site because of its abundant water power, fertile prairies, and its proximity to the geographical center of Richland County.

The line was originally constructed with maple rails, but it was rebuilt as a standard gauge iron railway in 1880.

[8] On October 8, 1882, the town's railway depot was destroyed when an early morning fire ignited two kegs of gunpowder stored inside, causing an explosion that tore the roof from the building and scorched several nearby rail cars.

[9] Another passenger depot, built in 1909, still stands today, serving as a visitor center for the community.

[10] Richland Center became an important location for the women's suffrage movement in Wisconsin after Laura Briggs James, Julia Bowen, and other residents founded the Richland Center Woman's Club in early 1882.

The club quickly became the largest suffrage group in the state and was influential in organizing the movement throughout Wisconsin.

Later, Laura James' daughter Ada James became influential in the movement, helping to found the Political Equality League in 1909 and advocating for women's rights, pacifism, birth control, and prohibition.

The A. D. German Warehouse, completed in 1921, is the only building designed by Wright in Richland Center and is an early representation of his Mayan Revival style.

The origin of GTE can be traced to the Richland Center Telephone Company.

At that time, the modest company served only 1,466 telephones in southern Wisconsin.

Following bankruptcy during the Great Depression, the company reorganized into the General Telephone Corporation and continued to expand.

After merging with Sylvania Electric Products in 1959, it once again changed its name, this time to General Telephone & Electronics Corporation (GT&E, later GTE).