Westown in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
A German Heritage
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2019
1. A German Heritage Marker
On Old World Third Street, German architectural flourishes, such as half-timber buildings and cobblestone intersections, recall the look and feel of Milwaukee's Germantown in its heyday. The street was lined with bakeries, meat markets, restaurants and beer gardens between 1850 and 1900. Usinger's Famous Sausage (1 above), founded in 1880, and Mader's restaurant, 1041 N. Old World Third St., founded in 1902, remain family-run today.
Remnants of several tanneries owned and operated by German families in the late 1800s also line the Milwaukee River. For a time, Germans were as prominent in the production of leather as they were in the brewing of beer.
German businesses and institutions virtually defined Milwaukee's cultural identity. The Germania Building (10 above), built in 1896, housed American's largest publisher of German-language newspapers. And Germans established the Milwaukee Turner Society (2 above) in 1858 to provide social and physical outlets to help members develop "sound minds in sound bodies."
By the 1860s, the German influence on the city was so strong that Milwaukee was nicknamed the "German Athens of America."
Topics. This historical
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Location. 43° 2.493′ N, 87° 54.773′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Westown. It is on West Kilbourn Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is on the west side of the Milwaukee River along the Milwaukee Riverwalk on the south side of the Kilbourn Avenue Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milwaukee WI 53203, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: An Outdoor Gallery (here, next to this marker); Father Marquette's Camp - 1674 (within shouting distance of this marker); Pere Jacques Marquette, S.J. (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Pere Jacques Marquette, S.J. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Milwaukee River at Play (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Red Lights on the River (about 300 feet away); Letter Carriers' Monument (about 400 feet away); Birthplace of the American League (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.
Photographed by Devon Polzar, 2019
2. A German Heritage Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 2, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,269 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 2, 2019, by Devon Polzar of Port Washington, Wisconsin. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
