Menomonee Falls, WI history

The first minister of the Evangelical Association, who preached in the neighborhood of Menomonee Falls, was John Lutz, in the year 1840.

The first postoffice was established in 1842.

In 1844, Frederick Nehs and William Barns, with their families, came from the State of Pennsylvania and settled in the region of what is now called Menomonee Falls.

By 1845, the settlement of Menomonee Falls boasted several homes and businesses and a population of roughly 100 people.

By 1850, the population of the Town of Menomonee was estimated at 1,340 persons and lands around the intersection of Fond du Lac Road and Waukesha Road had been platted into a few dozen parcels which were eventually developed as the “Four Corners” commercial area.

The parsonage, built in 1855-56, is valued at $1,200.

In 1868, they built a handsome church, of the Cream City brick, at a cost of $7,500.

188, A., F. k A. M., was organized under dispensation, August 31, 1871, with the following officers: M. L. Youngs, of Milwaukee, G. M.; S. S. Clark, S. W.; D. F. Bancroft, S. W.; W. T. Palmer, of Milwaukee, G. See.; J. Gray, S. D.; A, R. Ostrander, J. D.; G. W. Church, Tiler.

The Lannon Springs Hotel was established in 1875 providing accommodations and a tavern on the western edge of the Town.

The officers installed January 2, 1880, are these: J. E. Lounsbury, W. M.; W. T. Camp, S. W.; I. B. Rowell, J. W.; J. E. Davis Treas.; J. B. Loomis.

In 1886, several new streets and residential lots were created when Jesse B. Nehs subdivided his farm to the northeast of the Four Corners in 1886.

In 1890, the population of the Town of Menomonee was recorded at 2,480 and nearly 500 people called the settlement of Menomonee Falls home.

In 1891 a surveyor mapped the area that would become the Village and a petition of support for Village incorporation was circulated and signed by 497 area residents.

These materials were forwarded to Judge A. Scott Sloan of the Waukesha County Circuit Court who, on February 3rd, 1892 ordered the incorporation of the Village of Menomonee Falls.

The first Village Board was promptly elected and the Village Fire Department was organized in 1894.

Menomonee Falls Rail Depot, circa 1909

In 1916, a new Ford touring car or convertible could be purchased from Wittlin Motors for $360.

The Village water tower, which was built in 1917, became a distinctive landmark for travelers at this time.

Automobile use increased rapidly after concrete pavement was installed on Main Street and Fond du Lac Avenue (now Appleton Avenue) in 1919.

Celebrating the opening of Highway 15, 1922

In 1930, a new municipal building was completed on Appleton Avenue to better serve the needs of the growing community.

In 1935, signs were installed on all Village streets and numbers were assigned to all buildings for the first time.

The development of the Hiawatha Heights subdivision (the first FHA approved subdivision in Wisconsin) began in 1937.

By 1940, the combined population of the Village and Town of Menomonee had reached 3,674.

Residents visited the new Falls Theater (1941) on Appleton Avenue to watch news reels documenting the war effort.

After the war ended in 1945, residential growth returned with the creation of five new subdivisions and over 200 residential parcels.

Looking north from the Falls Theater, circa 1950

Menomonee Falls Post Office, 1952

The completion of US 41 (now interstate 41) in 1953 increased the attractiveness of the Village and Town of Menomonee as a bedroom community by drastically cutting commute times to the Milwaukee job market.

In 1956, the same year that 26 new residential subdivisions were platted in the Village and Town of Menomonee, local newspapers published a report that the governments of the Town of Menomonee and the Village of Lannon had approved a merger of the two communities.

An estimated 4,000 people moved to Menomonee Falls in 1959 alone prompting the Village to hire a consulting firm to explore changing to city status.

In recognition of the rapid change in the community, Village leaders commissioned a consulting firm to draft A General Plan for Community Development in 1960.

Several streets were reconstructed in this era to accommodate higher traffic volumes including Appleton Avenue (1969) which resulted in the demolition of several structures in the historic Fussville area.

Village Municipal Complex and Library, circa 1970

An estimated 9,200 full-time jobs were in the Village by 1972.

The Village adopted its first Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan in 1980 to guide future park and trail development.

As the 20th century came to a close, the Village celebrated its centennial (1992) and looked ahead to a new era of growth and redevelopment.

In 1996, the Menomonee Falls Community Center opened to the public and Oakwood Park and the Menomonee Falls Little League Complex were developed between Mill Road and Good Hope Road.

In 2008, the Village adopted the Menomonee Falls Comprehensive Plan to guide the development of the Village for the next twenty years.

The Village’s population has grown by nearly 4 percent since 2010 and the high rate of apartment and single family home construction in recent years make it likely that Village will continue to grow in the near future.

As of 2016, the Village had an estimated 36,907 residents and had become an important economic hub of Greater Milwaukee area.