Epilä has been permanently inhabited since the 16th century. Epilä, located in the present Winter area, is mentioned in the 1540 land register as a house belonging to the village of Tohloppi, the parish of Pirkkala, which was owned by Heikki Epi at that time. The name is possibly based on the Swedish male given name Ebbe. In 1759–1836, Epilä was the office of the chaplain of the Harju Chapel Parish. There have been pastures of Kaarila Manor in the area. During the Finnish Civil War, in March-April 1918, fierce battles were fought in Epilä as part of the Battle of Tampere; the Red Guard, led by Aatto Koivunen, defeated the Whites, led by Swedish Colonel Hjalmarson, on several occasions. The fierce offensive battle took place on March 26, 1918.