St. Martin's (also St. Martins or Saint Martins) is a former

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the

Town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, in

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous cou ...

, United States.

History

It was settled during the 1830s and 1840s, and became more developed after the arrival of Father Martin Kundig in 1847. He established Holy Assumption

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

and was a key force in

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ting the settlement in 1850. Because some

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

immigrants had trouble understanding the English-speaking Irish worshipers, construction of another Catholic church was requested. A portion of the land deeded to Holy Assumption Church in St. Martin's was donated for construction of Sacred Hearts Catholic Church to accommodate the

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...

-speaking congregants in 1858. A five-story

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

for grinding grain was moved from Kenosha County to St. Martins in 1868 and served farmers until it was torn down in 1934. In Turner, Turner and Reinsch's 1898 ''Hand Book of Wisconsin: Its History and Geography ... and Resources, Industries, and Commerce'', it is listed as having a population of 146, and is described as follows:

It has a feed mill, four general stores, a shoe shop, a blacksmiths shops, and a daily mail.

The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company , also referred to as the Milwaukee Interurban Lines or TMER&L, is a defunct railroad that operated in and around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the largest electric railway and electric utility sys ...

interurban railway The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

had a "St. Martin's Junction" stop from 1904 to 1939. The Labor Day fair formerly held in

Hales Corners Hales Corners is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,692 at the 2010 census. History The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and even ...

was moved to St. Martin's in 1958, and is now known as the St. Martin's Fair."Franklin Through the Ages" Franklin Historical Society
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References

{{Coord, 42, 54, 08, N, 88, 03, 23, W, type:city_region:US-WI_soource:GNIS, display=title Populated places in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Former populated places in Wisconsin