[3] The name originated in the Middle Ages, during the heyday of the Abbey of Saint Gall.

The first battle of the Appenzell Wars was fought at the village of Vögelinsegg, near Speicher in 1403.

A monument to the battle, a pointing Appenzell farmer with a morning star, was built in 1903 on the ridge of Vögelinsegg.

Of the rest of the land, 16.1% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.5%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

Until the 1950s the municipality was lightly settled with scattered farmhouses and two small settlements, Speicher and Speicherschwendi.

Students who continue on to advanced secondary attend Gymnasium in Trogen.

The Holzpalast house in the municipality is listed as a heritage site of national significance.