The villages of Staphorst and its southern neighbour Rouveen came into existence as in the 13th century monks started to bring the bogs and swamps into culture.

Thus a lengthy row of farms was built, becoming the 11 km (7 mi) long village of Staphorst-Rouveen.

Staphorst was a Dutch municipality, created through a decree by French emperor Napoleon who merged four smaller entities into a much larger one.

Except for a few minor changes, Staphorst's borders have remained unchanged, making it an anomaly in Dutch municipal history.

Staphorst is still a largely orthodox Calvinist village and has one of the highest church attendancy rates of the Netherlands.