Hatley, WI

Hatley is a Marathon County village in east-central Wisconsin, named for Hatley, Quebec, the home of Canadian lumberman Matthew Wadleigh. The railroad arrived in 1879 and the post office followed in 1881; Hatley incorporated in 1912. The 2020 census counted 648 residents. Early local industry centered on sawmills, with businesses lining Clark Street beside the rail line and Curtis Avenue to the south.

The village's current community center sits at the Hatley Branch of Marathon County Public Library, which opened with a community and senior center in 2005 and serves several eastern Marathon County communities. The post office still serves Hatley and nearby areas, while local village government remains on the compact street grid shaped by the railroad era. Hatley's story is visible in the transition from timber and rail to library, meeting space, and everyday village services. It is a small Wausau-area community where the old lumber corridor and current civic facilities occupy the same few blocks. The library's meeting room and kitchen also support local gatherings.