Carl Baehr

Recent Articles

The Curious History of Cathedral Square

The Curious History of Cathedral Square

Over 180 years, rising from pig-filled mud-hole to Courthouse Square to a recreational hub of East Town.

City Streets: Gordon Place is Rich with Milwaukee History
City Streets

Gordon Place is Rich with Milwaukee History

The street gets its name from an early Milwaukee family, with ties to the founding of the parks system.

City Streets: 11 Short Streets With Curious Names
City Streets

11 Short Streets With Curious Names

All on the East Side. Four from Sir Walter Scott novels and a couple Harvard connections.

City Streets: Where Plankinton and Wells Meet
City Streets

Where Plankinton and Wells Meet

Two streets, two Milwaukee pioneers and a downtown square with a curious history.

City Streets: The Curious History of Wedgewood Drive
City Streets

The Curious History of Wedgewood Drive

Why a street evoking English china? Why were sidewalks behind the houses?

City Streets: Lisbon Ave. Should Have Been Called Merton
City Streets

Lisbon Ave. Should Have Been Called Merton

The plank road went beyond Lisbon to the Town of Merton, yet wasn’t named for it.

City Streets: How a President’s Row Was Created
City Streets

How a President’s Row Was Created

The South Side has six consecutive streets named after presidents, all but one Republican.

City Streets: Mann Family Owned Much of Bay View
City Streets

Mann Family Owned Much of Bay View

Ran lumber companies, named Bay View streets, owned Lion House on N. Franklin Place.

City Streets: 25 Streets Have Added Honorary Names
City Streets

25 Streets Have Added Honorary Names

Since 2005, honorary signs for James Cameron, Don Sykes, Mae Elizabeth Dey, many others.

City Streets: Milwaukee Has Many Private Streets
City Streets

Milwaukee Has Many Private Streets

You may recognize them by the brown signs. That is, if you can access the road.

City Streets: 19 Streets Named After the Irish
City Streets

19 Streets Named After the Irish

Many of these Milwaukee streets were named after men who emigrated from Ireland.

City Streets: Holton Street Named For Abolitionist
City Streets

Holton Street Named For Abolitionist

Edward Dwight Holton: teetotaler, abolitionist, storekeeper, bank president and public servant.

City Streets: Custer’s Last Stand in Milwaukee
City Streets

Custer’s Last Stand in Milwaukee

There’s still a city street that honors him. Or is it named after a Town of Granville settler?

City Streets: The Return of Streets With Two Names
City Streets

The Return of Streets With Two Names

1920s program purged most, but streets with multiple names popping up in recent decades.

City Streets: Why Does City Have Two Pierce Streets?
City Streets

Why Does City Have Two Pierce Streets?

One in Riverwest, one on South Side, each named in 1850s after different people.

City Streets: Schlinger Ave. Named After Vaunted Wolf Hunter
City Streets

Schlinger Ave. Named After Vaunted Wolf Hunter

George Schlinger came from Prussia, had 14 children and some heartbreaking losses.

City Streets: Murray Ave. Named for Early Real Estate Investor
City Streets

Murray Ave. Named for Early Real Estate Investor

Scottish immigrant and early Milwaukeean James Murray figured into history of city.

City Streets: A Great Street Named Newberry
City Streets

A Great Street Named Newberry

Newberry Boulevard has style, charm and park in the middle.

City Streets: The Quonsets of Bay Street
City Streets

The Quonsets of Bay Street

Temporary homes for WWII Veterans are the only development ever to land on the west side of S. Bay Street.

City Streets: Atkinson Name Was Twice Opposed
City Streets

Atkinson Name Was Twice Opposed

Avenue named after first State Veterinarian, but many wanted changed to Malcolm X.

City Streets: Hawley Rd. Honors First Register of Deeds
City Streets

Hawley Rd. Honors First Register of Deeds

Cyrus Hawley got rich on real estate and was an opponent of immigrant militia companies.

City Streets: The Rise and Fall of John Keefe
City Streets

The Rise and Fall of John Keefe

Keefe Ave was named after wealthy businessman, later disgraced for embezzling.

City Streets: Chase Ave. Was First Road to Chicago
City Streets

Chase Ave. Was First Road to Chicago

It honors doctor, brickmaker, glass manufacturer, legislator and school commissioner Enoch Chase.

City Streets: The Man Who Made This Cream City
City Streets

The Man Who Made This Cream City

Manufacturer George Burnham helped make city famous for cream-colored bricks, named a south side street.

City Streets: Commerce Street Arose From a Canal
City Streets

Commerce Street Arose From a Canal

Planned to reach Mississippi River, it never even got to North Avenue.

City Streets: The Complicated History of Highway 100
City Streets

The Complicated History of Highway 100

Part of it was “Lovers Lane,” all of it made a 38-mile bypass of the city.

City Streets: Spencer Tracy Lived on Logan Avenue
City Streets

Spencer Tracy Lived on Logan Avenue

Future Hollywood star grew up on street created in 1880s, named after Civil War general.

City Streets: We Hate You, John Abert
City Streets

We Hate You, John Abert

City named one street to insult an Abert, only to later honor another Abert with a street.

City Streets: Howard Avenue’s History Is Tangled Tale
City Streets

Howard Avenue’s History Is Tangled Tale

It all began when this New Yorker named James Howard came here in the 1830s.

City Streets: Two Riverwest Streets Had Ethnic Divisions
City Streets

Two Riverwest Streets Had Ethnic Divisions

Fratney and Bremen streets reflected tension between Germans and Irish and Poles.

City Streets: The Two Streets Named Layton
City Streets

The Two Streets Named Layton

Meat packer and philanthropist Frederick Layton was so beloved he was honored twice.

City Streets: Swan Boulevard Created By a Deer Hunter
City Streets

Swan Boulevard Created By a Deer Hunter

Emery Swan came here in 1837. Street he created changes names several times.

City Streets: Estes Street Honors Bay View Pioneer
City Streets

Estes Street Honors Bay View Pioneer

North Carolina native Elijah Estes settled in 1830s in area that became Bay View.

City Streets: The Curious History of Weil Street
City Streets

The Curious History of Weil Street

Actually named after a Frenchman named Schleisinger, who founded Slinger.

City Streets: The Mystery Of Young Street
City Streets

The Mystery Of Young Street

Where is it? How long is it? Short street created in 1929 would stump local trivia experts.

City Streets: Silver Spring Has Wild History
City Streets

Silver Spring Has Wild History

Ethnic fights, ice harvesting, tub races, pigeon shooting and more.

City Streets: How Forest Home Became An Avenue
City Streets

How Forest Home Became An Avenue

First an Indian trail, then Janesville Plank Rd., then came a cemetery for 28 mayors.

City Streets: Why Two Streets Named Washington?
City Streets

Why Two Streets Named Washington?

The great street name purge of 1920s left in place the duplication of Washington names.

City Streets: Mitchell Street, Town’s Most Popular Name?
City Streets

Mitchell Street, Town’s Most Popular Name?

Mitchell Park, Boulevard, airport, etc., all named after one family.

City Streets: Elliott Circle Is A Unique Oddity
City Streets

Elliott Circle Is A Unique Oddity

City’s only full-circle street near 58th and North has pie-shaped lots, oddly numbered addresses.

City Streets: The Dreadful Legacy of Charles Nash
City Streets

The Dreadful Legacy of Charles Nash

His greed led to the horrible Newhall House fire. Yet a street still bears his name.

City Streets: Meinecke Paid For Street Named After Him
City Streets

Meinecke Paid For Street Named After Him

The lasting legacy of toy importer and German immigrant Adolph Meinecke.

City Streets: Runaway Horses Plagued Vliet Street
City Streets

Runaway Horses Plagued Vliet Street

Killing and injuring many in the 19th century. Then the streetcar arrived.

City Streets: The Barons of Bay View
City Streets

The Barons of Bay View

Wealthy businessmen Stephen Clement and Eber Ward founded Bay View, named many streets.

City Streets: Auer Ave. Honors Eugenics Champion
City Streets

Auer Ave. Honors Eugenics Champion

Louis Auer did all he could to promote more births by the “superior” races.

City Streets: Villard Ave. Salutes City’s Transit History
City Streets

Villard Ave. Salutes City’s Transit History

So does Aldrich St. But these were two wildly different transportation companies.

City Streets: Why Such Strange Names?
City Streets

Why Such Strange Names?

Falling Heath? Fairy Chasm? Port Sunlight? A short history of town’s oddest names.

City Streets: Center St. Actually Named After a Person
City Streets

Center St. Actually Named After a Person

It was never the center of anything, but named after man who devised the “straight cut.”

City Streets: Reservoir Ave. Was Font of City’s Water
City Streets

Reservoir Ave. Was Font of City’s Water

And part of street, now named Glover, celebrates the freeing of famed fugitive slave.

City Streets: Cudahy’s Packed Avenues
City Streets

Cudahy’s Packed Avenues

Some cities name their streets after states or even wines, but Cudahy took a meatier approach.

City Streets: Whitnall Ave. Named After “Father” of Parks
City Streets

Whitnall Ave. Named After “Father” of Parks

And Gordon Park is named for his son.

City Streets: Wahl Ave. Named After “Grandfather” of Parks
City Streets

Wahl Ave. Named After “Grandfather” of Parks

Before Whitnall there was Christian Wahl, who helped create city’s parks system.

City Streets: Greenfield Ave and Bias Against Poles
City Streets

Greenfield Ave and Bias Against Poles

It was the northern border of city’s Polish community, which suffered horrible prejudice.

City Streets: The Poetic Legacy of Hackett Avenue
City Streets

The Poetic Legacy of Hackett Avenue

Residents objected to East Side street name, but were defeated by a poem.

City Streets: KK Is Bay View’s Main Street
City Streets

KK Is Bay View’s Main Street

With a rich history, labor unrest and streetcar deaths, going back to 1865.

City Streets: The 12 Segments of McKinley Avenue
City Streets

The 12 Segments of McKinley Avenue

Including Cold Spring area that held horse races and set world speed record.

City Streets: Downer Avenue and Two “Spite” Houses
City Streets

Downer Avenue and Two “Spite” Houses

Both tales of revenge have a connection to Judge Jason Downer.

City Streets: Humboldt Once Part of a Separate Village
City Streets

Humboldt Once Part of a Separate Village

Village of Humboldt, south of Capitol Dr., along Humboldt Plank Rd., lasted for decades.

City Streets: Lincoln Memorial Dr. Was Under Water
City Streets

Lincoln Memorial Dr. Was Under Water

A 20-year landfill project created the road and the city’s waterfront playground.

City Streets: Water Street Is Old Indian Trail
City Streets

Water Street Is Old Indian Trail

The first street built ran crooked, with gambling houses and other dens of vice.

City Streets: Streets With Multiple Names
City Streets

Streets With Multiple Names

Is it Canal or Fairview, McKinley or Knapp, Third or MLK Drive? Yep, it’s confusing.

City Streets: Ghost Markers of Milwaukee
City Streets

Ghost Markers of Milwaukee

College Ave., Court St., Pittsburgh Ave. and other names are for something gone -- or never there.

City Streets: Tiny Corcoran Ave. Raised a Big Star
City Streets

Tiny Corcoran Ave. Raised a Big Star

Cornelius L. Corcoran served as Third Ward’s alderman for 44 years, longer than any council member in history

City Streets: Famous Streets From Other Cities
City Streets

Famous Streets From Other Cities

Bourbon and Boylston streets, Euclid Ave., Santa Monica Blvd. and others can be found here.

City Streets: Jefferson Street Became Asphalt Showcase
City Streets

Jefferson Street Became Asphalt Showcase

Charles Pfister spent his own money to pave the street abutting his hotel in the new style.

City Streets: State Street Had Three Names
City Streets

State Street Had Three Names

And once was the chief connection to Watertown Plank Rd, a road made of oak planks.

City Streets: The Curious History of Franklin Place
City Streets

The Curious History of Franklin Place

Who is it really named after? And why the statue of a Scottish poet in a German city?

City Streets: Erie Street Was Gas Powered
City Streets

Erie Street Was Gas Powered

The Gas Works that began lighting the city in 1852 nearly caught fire in epic 1892 conflagration.

City Streets: Jackson St. Almost Had a Subway
City Streets

Jackson St. Almost Had a Subway

A mile-long underground railway was planned in 1890s.

City Streets: How Elizabeth St. Became National Ave.
City Streets

How Elizabeth St. Became National Ave.

Its name was changed in 1870s but many still used the old name for decades.

City Streets: Buffalo St. Was Where Black Man Lynched
City Streets

Buffalo St. Was Where Black Man Lynched

Short street had city’s only lynching and only one of an African American in state history.

City Streets: Yes, Tory Hill Is a Street
City Streets

Yes, Tory Hill Is a Street

It was named to commemorate the old Irish neighborhood obliterated by a freeway.

City Streets: Michigan Street Had a Mob Riot
City Streets

Michigan Street Had a Mob Riot

And a dispute involving the streetcar, which ultimately won the day.

City Streets: Van Buren Named After Democratic Vice-President
City Streets

Van Buren Named After Democratic Vice-President

Solomon Juneau was a Democrat and named many streets after members of his party.

City Streets: Highland Was Known as “Sauerkraut Boulevard”
City Streets

Highland Was Known as “Sauerkraut Boulevard”

It was also Johnson St. and Prairie St. before its name changed.

City Streets: Marshall Street Attracted Orphans
City Streets

Marshall Street Attracted Orphans

Not to mention delinquent boys. Yet it was named after a famed judge.

City Streets: The Short Swampy History of Chicago Street
City Streets

The Short Swampy History of Chicago Street

Built on a marsh, it became a magnet for immigrants.

City Streets: Astor Street Was For The “Bluebellies”
City Streets

Astor Street Was For The “Bluebellies”

The highest point between lake and river was where wealthiest people settled.

City Streets: Ogden and Lyon Almost Obliterated
City Streets

Ogden and Lyon Almost Obliterated

Park East Freeway would have run to lakefront, eliminating both streets.

City Streets: Paving Prospect Pitted Neighbor Against Neighbor
City Streets

Paving Prospect Pitted Neighbor Against Neighbor

In 1895, neighbors wrestled over an issue: should the street be paved with asphalt or wooden blocks?

City Streets: Farwell Developed Due To Streetcar
City Streets

Farwell Developed Due To Streetcar

And was named after the man who claimed he saved Vice-president Andrew Johnson.

City Streets: Wells Street Has Quite a History
City Streets

Wells Street Has Quite a History

That includes the impact of plutocrat Daniel Wells, Greta Garbo and an Irish/German riot.

City Streets: Broadway, the Street of Tragedies
City Streets

Broadway, the Street of Tragedies

Three of the most tragic incidents in city history happened on Broadway.

City Streets: Clybourn Was Once the City’s Main Street
City Streets

Clybourn Was Once the City’s Main Street

All the lake traffic got off at Clybourn and hotels and restaurants lined the street.

City Streets: The History of Milwaukee Street
City Streets

The History of Milwaukee Street

It's one of the original village streets dating back to 1835.

City Streets: Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue
City Streets

Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue

For much of the twentieth century, Wisconsin Avenue was the entertainment and retail center of the city.

City Streets: Cass Street, the Avenue of Plutocrats
City Streets

Cass Street, the Avenue of Plutocrats

That included the wealthiest man in Milwaukee history, richer than Bill Gates.

City Streets: The Curious History of St. Paul Avenue
City Streets

The Curious History of St. Paul Avenue

It was once Detroit and Fowler Streets, and before that was under water.

City Streets: The History of Kilbourn Avenue
City Streets

The History of Kilbourn Avenue

Formerly Biddle and Cedar Streets, it was renamed and widened into grand civic lane.

City Streets: The History of Plankinton Avenue
City Streets

The History of Plankinton Avenue

Once West Water St., it’s pretty short but long on history.

City Streets: The History of Juneau Avenue
City Streets

The History of Juneau Avenue

Once Division and Chestnut streets, it was consolidated into a tribute to city’s founder.

City Streets: The History of Mason Street
City Streets

The History of Mason Street

Named after a Michigan Territory governor, the street became Milwaukee’s Newspaper Row.