Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Kilbourntown

Killbourntown Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, September 9, 2023

1. Killbourntown Marker

Inscription.
In this vicinity, Kilbourntown, one of three original Milwaukee settlements, was founded by surveyor and land speculator Byron Kilbourn in 1835. Kilbourntown's first residents were entrepreneurs from the East. In 1839, a small group of German immigrants from Pomerania arrived in Kilbourntown, heralding a major 19th-century immigration of German settlers. Concentrated in Kilbourntown, this German population helped Milwaukee become known as the "most German city" in the United States. By the 20th century, Kilbourntown's German population had substantially dispersed, and the area became a community of rich ethnic diversity in the heart of downtown Milwaukee.

Erected 2014 by Wisconsin Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1835.

Location. 43° 2.693′ N, 87° 54.857′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is on North Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Drive north of West Highland Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1110 N Doctor M.L.K Jr Dr, 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Kilbourntown (here, next to this marker); Steinmeyer Building (within shouting distance of this marker); The Beer Line Neighborhood's Amber Past / Through the Eyes of Milwaukee Kids (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Turner Hall (about 600 feet away); Haymarket Square History (about 800 feet away); Pere Marquette Historic Site (about 800 feet away); Invention of the Typewriter (approx. 0.2 miles away); Robert "Red" Wilson (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.

Photographed by Connor Olson, September 9, 2023

2. Killbourntown Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2023, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 471 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on August 25, 2024, by Jim Schaettle of Madison, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2023, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.