Granville, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Granville
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Former Town
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 Granville
Location in Wisconsin
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| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Milwaukee |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Granville was once a town (a type of local government area) in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It doesn't exist as a separate town anymore. Part of Granville became the village of Brown Deer in 1955. The rest of Granville joined with the City of Milwaukee in 1956. Today, this area is a neighborhood of Milwaukee.
Contents
History of Granville
Early Settlers and Naming the Town
The first people to settle in the Granville area arrived in 1835. Some of these early settlers came from a place called Granville, New York. They decided to name their new home "Granville" after their old one.
On January 13, 1840, the territorial legislature officially created the Town of Granville. This meant it became a recognized local government area. It was formed from the western part of an older area called the Town of Milwaukee. By the year 1840, the population of Granville was 225 people.
German Immigrants and Early Churches
Many settlers came to Granville in the late 1830s and 1840s. A large group were Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants from Telford, Pennsylvania. They were led by Samuel Wambold.
These German immigrants built a church called the German Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church of Granville Township. It opened on June 17, 1849. This church is now known as Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church. On May 26, 1850, the church's pastor, Wilhelm Wrede, hosted a meeting for local Lutheran ministers. This meeting was important because the group later became the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
East and West Granville Areas
The area around Good Hope Road and 43rd Street was known as East Granville. It had the East Granville Cemetery, which started in the 1840s. This cemetery was later moved in 1969 by Brown Deer to make roads wider.
The area near Mill Road and 107th Street was called West Granville. This was where many of the German Lutherans lived. The West Granville Cemetery, which began in 1853, was also located here.
How Granville Became Part of Milwaukee
The northeastern part of Granville was known as Brown Deer. This area officially became an independent Village of Brown Deer on January 20, 1955. This happened after a legal battle between the people living there and the City of Milwaukee. Milwaukee wanted to take over (or annex) the area.
The rest of Granville joined with the City of Milwaukee. This process is called consolidation. It happened after people in both Granville and Milwaukee voted on it. The votes, called referendums, took place on April 3, 1956, and both sides approved the change.
However, the Granville Town Board tried to cancel the vote on July 12, 1956. This led to a legal case that went all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Supreme Court finally decided that the consolidation was legal. This meant the Town of Granville officially stopped existing.
The exact borders of what went to Milwaukee and what went to Brown Deer were not fully decided until April 1962. A small piece of land, about a quarter of a square mile, eventually went to Brown Deer.
Geography of Granville
Granville was located at 43°10'39" North latitude and 88°2'38" West longitude.
When it was first created, Granville was quite large. It stretched from the western edge of Milwaukee County (at 124th Street) to 27th Street in the east. It also went from the northern border of Milwaukee County (at County Line Road) to Hampton Avenue in the south.
Population of Granville
In 1850, the town of Granville had a population of 1,713 people. By 1875, the population had grown to 2,431.
Education in the Granville Area
Today, Milwaukee Public Schools operates the public schools in the area that was once Granville. These schools include Goodrich Elementary School, John Burroughs Middle School, and Harold S. Vincent High School.
There is also a private school in the area called Granville Lutheran School. It is run by Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative (LUMIN) Schools.
Notable People from Granville
- Patrick H. Cashin was born in Granville. He later became a Wisconsin State Assemblyman and the Mayor of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
