Scotland native William Kedzie came from Delhi, NY, purchased 304 acres here in 1824, and became the first settler in 1826. He was first postmaster of KEDZIE'S GROVE in 1828, but passed away later that year. Prominent pioneer settlers included Daniel Clark, and Anthony McKey—a farmer, surveyor, engineer, and a member of the state senate from 1837-8— who became the second postmaster. During the first few years of settlement residents had to travel to Monroe for supplies and any specialized service. Ephraim Hall arrived in 1836, built the first frame house in town, and built the first dam and sawmill.
The village was renamed Deerfield in 1837, the name suggested by Mr. Hall, "on account of the abundance of deer," and because the place reminded him of the home of his relatives in Deerfield, MA. Incorporated as a village in 1873, about the time the Canadian Southern Railroad built its depot here. The railroad had completed a line from Buffalo to Detroit, through Ontario, and dreamed of getting to Chicago. By 1873 they had crossed the Detroit River, by ferry at Gordon, Ontario, to Stony Island, then a 900' trestle to Grosse Ile, then a 1400' drawbridge to the Michigan mainland. The line was completed to Fayette, Ohio—but the company had overextended financially.
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt took control, joined the Canada Southern with the M.C. line to Chicago, and completed a route from NY to Chicago. The railroad through Deerfield became obsolete, and within 10 years most of the tracks were removed. The depot building was moved to Adrian in the 1980s and then to Blissfield in 1991, where it became the home of the Blissfield Historical Society. Deerfield became quiet agriculture-based community. [Michigan County Atlas, Kappa Map Group]