History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! On Saturday Feb. 9, the Greendale Village Business Association held its annual winter event on Broad Street. The events name, ‘I Left My Heart On Broad Street’, refers to its date always near or on Valentine’s Day. This year the theme of Hawaiian Summer added some fun entertainment and warmth to the days’ activities, including: Ice Sculpting contest with the Hawaiian theme for the sculptures. Chili cook-off (Hawaiian Chili with Spam???) Ice skating on the Greendale Ice Rink …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! St. Stephen The Martyr Lutheran Church – 6101 S. 51st St., Greendale WI 53129 When I first visited St. Stephen the Martyr Lutheran Church to work on this story, I saw this large picture of the congregation outside the Tri City State Bank building. My immediate reaction was that this was an iconic picture. As I learned more about the church’s beginnings and its history, my fascination with the picture increased. I wondered if anyone had ever put names to all the faces, and …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! Greendale Community Church, United Church of Christ - 6015 Clover Lane, Greendale 53129 An Open House this past Sunday, Jan. 27, celebrated the completion of the Education Wing at the Greendale Community Church. This wing provides a new main entrance more accessible to parking, nine new classrooms, a new nursery, and accessible bathrooms. Starting in the spring of 2002 the congregation expressed a desire for higher quality space for programs and education. History has shown …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! On April 30, 1935 President Roosevelt signed the executive order authorizing the creation of ‘Greenbelt Towns’. The Resettlement Administration (RA) was created to supervise the projects. The concept was very controversial and many political, social and economic compromises had to be worked out before starting. As many as 100 cities were considered for first three communities to be built. The area southwest of Milwaukee fit the criteria established by the RA. It was near a …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. Historic Houses in Greendale! The fourth house in the series of historic Greendale houses is the Trimborn Farmhouse located on Trimborn Farm. The Trimborn Farm complex (including the Jeremiah Curtin House) is about 7 acres owned by the Milwaukee County Park System. Trimborn Farm was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. Editor’s Note: First three houses in the series were Ross Lodge (see Week#46), Jeremiah Curtin House (see Week#44), and The Silo House (see Week#41). Trimborn …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! The story of the Greendale is truly a unique one. Three Greenbelt towns were built as part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal projects following the Great Depression. They were Greenbelt, Maryland, Greenhills, Ohio and Greendale, Wisconsin. The most important aspect of these towns was to provide low income families with affordable housing to raise their children in a safe environment and have large open "green" spaces. In May of 1936 construction began on the …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! What do Bob Buhl, Warren Spahn, Lou Burdette, Johnny Logan, Eddie Mathews and Bob Lombardo have in common? Well, they loved to play baseball, and all of them except Bob Lombardo played professionally with the Milwaukee Braves. More interestingly, they all spent an afternoon at the Steakout restaurant talking baseball, just like they were in the dugout at County Stadium. Bob Lombardo was there by virtue of working that day. The Braves were there because several of the players …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. Historic Houses in Greendale! The third house in the series of historic Greendale houses is quite a marvel. “A man’s house is his castle”, but how many castles do you know that also have a silo? Silo House - 5630 Gatewood Ln, Greendale, WI 53129  - Owners: Greg & Judy Turay This beautiful, executive style 3,000 square foot house is in the "G" section between 84th Street and 92nd Street South of Grange Avenue. At first glance it looks like a typical, charming home for this section until you look to …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! Breathing life into the Hose Tower and Grounds Building for the community is a major effort of the Greendale Historical Society. Ghosts and goblins of Halloween Past are already meeting quietly, so if you imagine you see a mist in the woods or a veiled face peering from the windows of the historic building don’t be alarmed – they’re just preparing for the society’s Third Annual Halloween Walk Through the Woods at the Hose Tower on Saturday, October 20 from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! There is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson “The First Wealth is Health” in the reception area of the Greendale Health Department (GHD). That says it all. If you don’t have your health, not much else matters. That’s why I think this week’s story is the most important one in the 75th Birthday Countdown series. We take good health for granted when we have it, and we should not. Sometimes disease and sickness is unavoidable, unpredictable, and unfair. Most times however, a conscious …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! If you’re reading this story and live in Greendale, raise your hand if you have not been to Ray & Dot’s on Grange Avenue. I don’t see too many hands. That’s no surprise, since Ray & Dot’s has been one of Greendale’s main social spots for over 50 years. The American Legion moved to the Basse farmhouse on Grange Avenue in 1948 (see Week#69). In 1957 the Legion advertised for someone to operate a tavern on the first floor. Ray & Dorothy (Dot) Koepsel answered the ad, opened up …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! This week is the beginning of a series on some of the historic houses in Greendale. The first house in the series was on one of the farms purchased by the federal government. Some of the farm’s land is still Greendale, but the farm house is now the Ross Lodge. Here’s the story: Ross Lodge - in Whitnall Park - 6750 S. 92nd St. - Greendale, WI 53129 This charming, white two story farm house is tucked away in the Mangan Woods Preserve of Whitnall Park. It is an overnight rental …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! Once final approval was received, the construction of Greendale began immediately. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was put in charge and began hiring unemployed workers who were on relief. These developments were reported by the Milwaukee Journal newspaper: MJ 5/25/36 – “Excavation for the foundations of 38 residences in Greendale, resettlement administration project near Hales Corners, was started Monday with a force of almost 700 men. according to Fred L. Naumer, …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! Village Days is held on the second weekend in August annually and provides the community with a venue to come together and celebrate Greendale’s birthday. This tradition started in 1958 and for many years the Greendale Lions, the American Legion Post 416, the Jaycees, and the Village Promotions Committee organized the event. Staples of the event were the Legion corn roast, the Lions food tent, the Lions rummage sale, the Jaycees beer tent, and entertainment at the Lions and …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! At the most recent Greendale Village Board meeting, Village President John Hermes commended all of the Departments for their efforts and said the Village was “looking tall” during the recent Village Days weekend. This sentiment was echoed by the entire Board of Trustees. We sometimes take for granted the beauty of Greendale and the way the Village services run smoothly for the enjoyment of all the residents. We get to do that because the employees of the Village Departments …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! "There is a tavern in the town, in the town And there my true love sits him down, sits him down, And drinks his wine as merry as can be, And never, never thinks of me."       -Writer unknown. Anyone living in Milwaukee has probably heard the first verse of this polka several hundred times, at weddings, picnics, festivals and almost any other occasion. Today we don’t think twice about having a tavern in the Village Center of Greendale. But in 1936 when planning the building of …

We’re back! Many of you noticed that last week we did not publish a story, but it was for a good reason. The Greendale Village Days celebration, on the second weekend in August, is the biggest event of the year. Those of us who work on these stories also belong to the organizations that work to make Greendale’s annual birthday party the huge success that it is. Last weekend the weather was perfect and it was fun. And the organizations running the show did not disappoint. The Family Entertainment Area had a new look and some new games  the kids really enjoyed. The Greendale Lions tried out a …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. Places, People, History, and Folklore! Hello, everyone… You may notice that I am not Dave Miller. He’s taking a well-deserved vacation from this column but will be back next week with more stories about Greendale’s colorful characters and history as we count down to the Greendale's 75th Diamond Celebration. In a departure from Dave’s usual column, this week’s article is mostly a travelogue for my favorite site in Greendale, with a little bit of history mixed in. It’s a quiet respite from the hectic…

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! It’s no secret that Greendale is a wonderful place to raise a family. You hear it from long time residents who raised a family in Greendale, from former kids who grew up in Greendale, and from kids who grew up in Greendale, moved away, and then moved back once they started a family. But what specifically does ‘a great place to raise a family’ really mean. Well, part of the explanation can be attributed to ‘Greendale All-American Youth Football Team, Inc.’. Huh you say? …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! Greendale’s Grounds Building and Hose Tower by Ted Mainella The tallest building in Greendale is one you can walk into but you can’t walk up. Why? Because it’s the old Fire Department’s Hose Tower. How tall is it? What’s a Hose Tower anyway? Do we still need one? If so, where is the new hose tower? What it was, what it is now, and what it will be is the subject of this story. As is well known in these parts, in 1938 the Village of Greendale was completed and folks moved in. …