Milwaukee’s Town of Lake

The Town of Lake was created in 1838 as one of Milwaukee County’s seven townships. Its borders were Greenfield Avenue (north), College Avenue (south), Twenty-seventh Street (west), and Lake Michigan (east). Beginning in 1850 and ending in 1954, Lake passed out of existence piecemeal as its farmland was developed. Portions were claimed by the City of Milwaukee or incorporated to become Bay View, Cudahy, and St. Francis. The St. Francis Seminary and Convent, Cupertino tree on the lakefront, Lake Band, Lake Town Hall, Airway Theater, Lakeside Power Plant, Patrick Cudahy Company, Mitchell International Airport, Forest Home Cemetery, St. Josaphat’s Basilica, Nunnemacher’s Distillery, Grebe’s Bakery, Gardetto’s Bakery, New Coeln, and the Tippecanoe neighborhood with its landmark water tower are only a small part of what made Lake a unique area of Milwaukee County.