John and Daniel Burns were pioneer settlers in this area of Brown County, and Burnstown Township was named in their honor. As railroad construction advanced westward, the station stop here was called Burns in 1873, and a small settlement grew around it. A plat of the village was filed in 1877. Two years later, the community had 250 inhabitants, four stores, more than a dozen other businesses, a school, two churches, and a doctor. The village was incorporated in 1881, and its name was changed by legislative act. A prominent businessman chose the name Springfield because a large, flowing spring was on the townsite. In 1923, a Home Rule Charter was adopted and the village became the City of Springfield.