The Village of De Forest and the surrounding 2200 acres were once owned by Isaac N. De Forest, who bought the land for $25.00 an acre in 1854 to farm and raise wheat. In 1856, before moving to Wetmore, Kansas, he began platting the site for a village. Native hand-hewn rock associated with De Forest came from his original Madison home, which he built in 1853 at the corner of Park and State streets. That structure later served as the Administration Building of the University of Wisconsin before it was razed in 1965.