History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. I think it is instructional to look at the historical context in which Greendale, WI, was created, what was going on nationally and internationally. Jean M. Miller, a student of Urban and European Geography, provided the following analysis:  (And other big thoughts – JM) Walking in their Shoes: American Perceptions In Milwaukee County, we are justifiably proud of our County Parks system. This gem is a legacy that was left to us by visionaries who embraced a national movement towards conserving …

History and Folklore! Drive down Broad Street in Greendale during the summer and chances are you’ll see activity around the Greendale Gazebo. You might see a wedding, a group taking pictures, a concert, a walking event, people enjoying lunch on the steps or visitors checking out the names on bricks on the floor.  Newcomers to the Village and even those of us who are not, take for granted that the gazebo is there. Hard to believe it, but before 1995 Greendale Gazebo Park did not exist.   The Dream: In 1989 Greendale Lion Robert ‘Bob’ Drews began to dream of a gazebo type bandstand on the site …

Tied through their birth during the Roosevelt Administration and through history to Greenbelt, MD, stand Greendale, WI, and Greenhills, Ohio. Green Sister Cities is a column with stories about these historic communities. History and Folklore! Do you like Greendale’s winding streets, the green spaces, the walking paths, and the parks? If so primarily you have Elbert Peets to thank. If not, you probably should consider moving to someplace that has a lot of asphalt and concrete. Elbert Peets was the landscape architect who created the initial design of Greendale in 1936. He believed in …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! In the 1950’s as the Village moved into private ownership, housing development increased, and the population exploded, local chapters of some nationally known organizations were formed. The following story about one of them was researched and written by Ron Anderson of the Greendale Lions Club. People, Past & Present!"The Greatest Generation" is a term coined by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! In the 1950’s as the Village moved into private ownership, housing development increased, and the population exploded, local chapters of some nationally known organizations were formed. The following story about one of them was researched and written by Ron Anderson of the Greendale Lions Club. Lions Clubs International began in 1917 as the dream of a Chicagoan, Melvin Jones. He believed that local business clubs should expand their horizons from purely professional concerns …

History records and explains past events, while folklore preserves what people widely remember. History and Folklore! This story about Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1936 visit contributed by Sally Chadwick. Some say she is our most famous visitor to Greendale. It happened on November 11, 1936. Eleanor Roosevelt wrote the following in her daily diary: "I visited the Greendale Resettlement project which has a delightful site and is I think a really good development. I wish, however, that every group of architects would have a woman sit at their elbow to advise on such minor details as the proper placing …