[3] The village of Westfield was laid out in 1839,[4] and a post office opened there on June 18, 1840.

The school was founded by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1861 as a seminary, then was incorporated as a coeducational college in 1865.

However, enrollment declined sharply thereafter, and financial problems forced the school to close in 1914.

The building was used as the Westfield Township high school from 1914 until being destroyed by fire in 1917.

[6] According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Westfield has a total area of 0.98 square miles (2.54 km2), all land.

The original wood frame Baptist Church building has been converted to a private home.