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There's
a distinct European feel in the heart of the Village
of Wauwatosa, brought here by the first European settlers
in the mid 1800s. Pedestrian-friendly stores and restaurants
with seasonal outdoor dining are reminiscent of some
of the great villages of Europe.
The nearby Menomonee River
and redevelopement in Hart Park remind us all why people
settled here and how the Village has evolved into a
destination to explore, shop, wine and dine.
Uncover the history of the Village
of Wauwatosa for yourself with a self-guided walking
tour. The walking brochure developed by the Wauwatosa
Historical Society is available for $1.00 in these Village
stores:
The Little Read Book, 7603
W. State Street, 414-774-2665
Underwood Gallery, 1430 Underwood Avenue, 414-476-1225
Magpie, 7613 Harwood Avenue, 414-771-8021
Pick up a free Village of Wauwatosa
Shopping Guide in these stores or find them throughout
the Village.
Click here to
see a listing of the more than 120 businesses in the
Village of Wauwatosa.
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Can you image
a few thousand people gathered in this location at
one time? Look closely. This is the place where an
annual festival called TosaFest takes place every
fall. You are looking northeast up Harwood Avenue
with State Street bisecting it from left to right.
Thie Little Read Store is on the left side of this
1870 picture. This building, situated alongside the
railroad tracks since it was built in 1854, is one
of the oldest surviving structures in Wauwatosa.
The white building just
beyond Harwood and State was the Wauwatosa House,
an inn for weary stagecoach travelers. Across the
street, to the right, stood the Dearsley Tavern.
Below that, on the Menomonee River, is Wesson's Wagon
Shop, near the site where The Chancery Restaurant
stands today. |
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The Village of Wauwatosa in 1870
Photo copyright Village of Wauwatosa*
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Here
is a photo of the current Bartolotta Ristorante,
located on the corner of Harwood Avenue and State
Street as it appeared in 1905. At that time it was
a saloon that had been built by the Pabst Brewing
Company and featured a "Blue Ribbon Buffet." If
you compare it to the previous picture of the Village
of Wauwatosa, you will see that it was built on the
same site as the earlier Dearsley Tavern. The tavern
was destroyed in 1895 by a devastating fire that
leveled many of the Village businesses. |
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Pabst Saloon in 1905
From the Wauwatosa Historical Society Collections*
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Never
to be caught unprepared again, the Village of Wauwatosa
organized a fire department and built a station in
this building in 1898, at 1430 Underwood Avenue.
The Village soon became incorporated as a city in
1897 and immediately passed an ordinance that required
all future business structures to be built of brick
or stone so that the growing business district would
never again suffer such a stinging setback. |
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The First Firehouse in the Village of Wauwatosa
in 1898
From the Milwaukee Historical Society Collections*
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Charles
Hart was a man of vision who seized opportunity.
He ventured into the wild forest of the Menomonee
River Valley in 1835 from New York with a handful
of settlers and built two booming businesses that
fueled the growth of the Wauwatosa community. Hart
owned a sawmill that turned a forest into lumber
and homes, and a grist mill that fed the inhabitants
of those new homes. Charles Hart was one of the first
businessmen to acknowledge and fill the needs of
this fledgling community. That was his legacy.
Additional information about
the City of Wauwatosa and the Village from the early
1800's to the present can be obtained from the Wauwatosa
Historical Society, 7406 Hillcrest Drive, 414-774-8672
(just north of the Village via Wauwatosa Avenue).
*Reproduction or duplication of these photos without
the consent of
the Wauwatosa or Milwaukee Historical Societies is
strictly prohibited. |
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Charles Hart, Early Wauwatosa Settler
From the Wauwatosa Historical Society Collections*
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