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

Carl Sandburg Hall

Photographed by Paul F, May 25, 2010

1. Carl Sandburg Hall Marker

South side of two sided marker

Inscription. Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), poet, balladeer, biographer of Lincoln, soldier in the Spanish-American War, came from Illinois to Wisconsin in December 1907 as a state organizer for the Social-Democratic party in eastern Wisconsin. After marrying Lillian Steichen of Menomonee Falls in 1908, he travelled the state with the Debs “Red Special” presidential campaign train, worked for the Wisconsin Anti-Tuberculosis Association, Kroeger’s department store, and several Milwaukee newspapers before serving as secretary to Socialist Mayor Emil Seidel for nearly a year. He then joined the Social-Democratic Herald and Victor Berger’s Milwaukee Leader, while residing at 3324 North Cambridge Street. He left Milwaukee permanently in September 1912 for Chicago, where he actively involved himself in its poetic renaissance.

Erected 1975 by University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Bicentennial Committee. (Marker Number 206.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Railroads & Streetcars • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1912.

Location. 43° 4.752′ N, 87° 52.941′

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W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Downer Woods. It is on Maryland Avenue ¼ mile East Hartford Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3400 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53211, 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: Golda Meir (approx. 0.2 miles away); Milwaukee-Downer College Buildings (approx. 0.2 miles away); Milwaukee-Downer College (approx. ¼ mile away); The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lueddemann’s-On-The-River (approx. 0.4 miles away); Old Sauk Trail (approx. 0.6 miles away); Lake Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Shorewood Village Hall (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milwaukee.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.

Also see . . .
1. Carl Sandburg Hall. University of Milwaukee website entry (Submitted on May 21, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Carl Sandburg. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 21, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Photographed by Paul F, May 25, 2010

2. Carl Sandburg Hall Marker

North side of two sided marker

Carl Sandburg Halls image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul F, May 25, 2010

3. Carl Sandburg Halls

Photographed by Paul F, May 25, 2010

4. Carl Sandburg Hall Marker

Main entrance to Sandburg Hall with marker in the distance

Carl Sandburg image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, November 2, 2011

5. Carl Sandburg

This 1961 portrait of Carl Sandburg by William A. Smith hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.

“Perhaps no figure in American letters has ever identified himself more readily and affectionately with grassroots America than Carl Sandburg. From his poem ‘Chicago,’ hailing that city as ‘Hog Butcher to the World,’ to his efforts to preserve American folk music and his six-volume biography of Abraham Lincoln, Sandburg seemed forever dedicated to enriching popular appreciation for his country's democratic experience. In the 1930s, as the Depression steadily eroded the optimism that had always been an underpinning of that experience, he concluded that what the public most needed from him now was a reminder of the country's resilient virtues. By 1936, he had completed The People, Yes,, a long discourse in free verse admitting to America's failings but, more important, celebrating its overriding strengths. ‘A foreigner will find more of America’ in it, one critic wrote, ‘than in any other book.’” — National Portrait Galley

Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 4, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,829 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 4, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. 5. submitted on May 7, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.