Granville was a town

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. One portion was incorporated as the village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Brown Deer

Brown Deer, Wisconsin

Brown Deer is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is a suburb of Milwaukee. The population was 11,999 at the 2010 census...

 in 1955; the remainder was annexed by the city of Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

 in 1956. The latter became a neighborhood of Milwaukee.

History

The first settlers came to the area in 1835, including some from Granville, New York

Granville, New York

Granville is a town on the eastern border of Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, who gave the area its name. In 1841 the towns of Lake

Lake, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

The Town of Lake was formerly a town in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin which existed from January 2, 1838 to April 6, 1954.-Geography:Using current street names, it encompassed the area bordered by Greenfield Ave to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, College Avenue to the south and 27th Street to...

 and Milwaukee

Milwaukee (town), Wisconsin

The Town of Milwaukee was a town in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin created on March 17, 1835. A number of Milwaukee County municipalities were created out of portions of it...

 were divided into seven separate towns, including Granville.

Granville was settled in the late 1830s and 1840s by a group of Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...

 (German) immigrants who had formerly lived in Telford, Pennsylvania

Telford, Pennsylvania

Telford is a borough in Bucks and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 4,872 at the time of the 2010 census.- History :...

, led by Samuel Wambold. They dedicated a church building, the German Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church of Granville Township, on June 17, 1849. (The church is currently known as Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church.) On May 26, 1850 the current pastor, Wilhelm Wrede, hosted a meeting of local Lutheran ministers at the church: this group later became the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod is a North American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As of 2008, it had a baptized membership of over 389,364 in more than 1,290 congregations,...

.

The northeastern corner of the town was known as Brown Deer, and eventually became the incorporated Village of Brown Deer on January 20, 1955, after a court battle between area residents and the city of Milwaukee (which hoped to annex the area).

The area around Good Hope Road and 43rd Street was known as East Granville, and was home to the East Granville Cemetery which was started in the 1840s. The cemetery was moved by Brown Deer in 1969 to widen existing roads.

The area around Mill Road and 107th Street was known as West Granville, and was home to the German Lutherans mentioned above. The area was also home to the West Granville Cemetery which was started in 1853.

Geography

Granville was located at 43°10'39" North, 88°2'38" West (43.1775 -88.04389)

When it was first formed, Granville stretched from the western border of Milwaukee County at 124th Street to 27th Street on the east, and from the northern border of Milwaukee County at County Line Road to Hampton Avenue on the south.

External links

• "VILLAGE HISTORY", from the Village of Brown Deer, Wisconsin website
• Granville on Milwaukee Neighborhoods Guide from UWM Library