Darien, WI

Darien is a Walworth County town that contains the Village of Darien, along with parts of Bardwell, Allen’s Grove, and Fairfield. The town’s local story starts with John Bruce Jr., who bought land in 1837, built a log house that doubled as a hotel, and set aside the three-acre Commons now known as Bruce Park. The settlement was first called Bruceville, then Darien in 1840. Rail service arrived in 1856, pulling business toward Wisconsin Street; that commercial strip is now the village’s National Register historic district. Darien is a Wisconsin town with a village center shaped by a commons, a railroad, and an old street name.