Cedarville was a thriving trade center for thirty years on the north shore of Cedar Lake. Its post office operated from 1868 to 1903, and after it closed, mail was sent to Monterey. Francis Drugan was the first postmaster. Early storekeepers included Richard Crandell, Phinneas Dennis, and Capt. E.F. Wade, who also served as Justice of the Peace and Notary Public and handled much land office and collection business. The town had two stores, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, a wind grist mill, and some homes. Cedarville School, District 34, the first school in Cedar Township, was established in 1867. In 1899, the Chicago and Northwestern and the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroads both bypassed Cedarville, and the town declined rapidly after that.