Merrill Park in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Merrill Park
Photographed By Paul F, circa June 10, 2010
1. Merrill Park Marker
Inscription.
Merrill Park. . In 1879, Sherburn S. Merrill, the General Manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, purchased almost half a square mile in the Menomonee Valley to construct a massive railroad shop complex. By the early 1880s, the railroad company employed over 2500 workers. To provide housing for these workers, Merrill created “Merrill Park” in 1883, a housing development between 27th and 35th streets. Desiring a “respectable” neighborhood, Merrill placed deed restrictions on his property prohibiting “intoxicating liquors” and “livery stables.” New Englanders and German and English immigrants, among others, settled in the area, and the neighborhood grew with a mixture of single family houses, duplexes, cottages and apartments. After the disastrous Third Ward Fire of 1892 many Irish families moved west to Merrill Park, and by the early twentieth century, Merrill Park became Milwaukee’s premier Irish neighborhood. The community remains one of Milwaukee’s most ethnically diverse.
In 1879, Sherburn S. Merrill, the General Manager of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, purchased almost half a square mile in the Menomonee Valley to construct a massive railroad shop complex. By the early 1880s, the railroad company employed over 2500 workers. To provide housing for these workers, Merrill created “Merrill Park” in 1883, a housing development between 27th and 35th streets. Desiring a “respectable” neighborhood, Merrill placed deed restrictions on his property prohibiting “intoxicating liquors” and “livery stables.” New Englanders and German and English immigrants, among others, settled in the area, and the neighborhood grew with a mixture of single family houses, duplexes, cottages and apartments. After the disastrous Third Ward Fire of 1892 many Irish families moved west to Merrill Park, and by the early twentieth century, Merrill Park became Milwaukee’s premier Irish neighborhood. The community remains one of Milwaukee’s most ethnically diverse.
Erected 1997 by Erected through the generosity of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Shamrock Club of Wisconsin, the Neville-Dunn American Legion Post No. 489, the Sesquicentennial of Milwaukee, the Merrill Park Neighborhood Association, the Milwaukee Irish Fest, the Gaynor
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Family, the Alumni and Friends of Merrill Park and the Irish Cultural and Heritage Society of Wisconsin. (Marker Number 354.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 43° 2.16′ N, 87° 57.475′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in Milwaukee County. It is in Merrill Park. Marker is at the intersection of North 35th Street and West Clybourn Street, on the right when traveling south on North 35th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 461 North 35th Street, Milwaukee WI 53208, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,087 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on August 23, 2010, by Paul Fehrenbach of Germantown, Wisconsin. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
