Mayfield took its name from Mayfield Farm, which Elisha Oscar Crosby bought in 1853. A village grew around Uncle Jim’s Cabin, a stage stop and saloon, and a post office opened in 1855. The railroad arrived in 1863 and William Paul laid out the town in 1867.
Mayfield had its own newspaper by 1869, incorporated in 1903, and had breweries and a cannery. Palo Alto voters approved the merger on July 2, 1925, and the towns were joined on July 6. The Mayfield News wrote its own obituary.