Menomonee Falls is getting its first Wisconsin State Historical Marker thanks to Fussville
Fussville, which has since become a part of Menomonee Falls, was once a thriving community.
Fussville was located along what is today Appleton Avenue, Lilly Road and Good Hope Road and had many amenities of an old-fashioned community, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story from 2017. It had a post office, brewery, blacksmith, a stagecoach inn and several taverns.
Now, Fussville will have the distinction of receiving Menomonee Falls' first Wisconsin State Historical Marker. There will be a dedication ceremony on May 21.
"It was a German community that everyone talked about in little whispers," said Carole McGibany, a local historian who collected people's stories about Fussville and put together the historical marker application. When she moved to Menomonee Falls in 1991, McGibany said Fussville reminded her of Poniatowski in Marathon County where her grandparents had their farm.
"Its four corners contained Holy Family Catholic Church, a grocery store and a tavern," McGibany said about Poniatowski.
With her years of compiling people's stories of Fussville, she considers herself an "adoptive daughter" of Fussville.
Fussville was named after the Fuss family, one of the first families to settle in that community in 1845, McGibany said. The Fuss family included the Fuss patriarch, Johan Fuss, his wife Anna Clara and their 11 children.
Johan Fuss helped establish the first Catholic church in Fussville so people did not have to make the trip to Milwaukee to attend a Catholic mass.
When McGibany was drawn to find out more about Fussville, she immediately sought out parishioners at St. Anthony Parish, which became the first landmark in the area.
Johan Fuss helped establish what was then called St. Anthony the Hermit Church on Jan. 17, 1846. It was a primitive building about 30 feet long with a dirt floor and no plaster on the walls.
McGibany said many current members of St. Anthony Parish are familiar with Fussville's history and may have had older family members who lived in the community.
McGibany, who wrote the book, 'Glimpses: Memories of St. Anthony the Hermit Parish and the Lost Community of Fussville, Wisconsin," said she learned the German immigrants were lonely and isolated and were the foundation of Fussville.
"This (historical) marker is in honor of them, of all the people who shared their stories, and now, this (marker) will last forever," she said.
From 1844 until the late 1950s, the community became an ideal place for farming. Because of its proximity to Appleton Avenue and Good Hope Road, two major roadways, it was along the way to Milwaukee and other nearby places.
But Fussville started to decline after the incorporation of the village of Menomonee Falls in 1892, according to the Journal Sentinel story. The post office closed in 1903. Because roads and transportation in the area had improved, Fussville was no longer a necessary stop for travelers.
Fussville was eventually annexed into Menomonee Falls in 1958. When Appleton Avenue widened in 1971, many of the homes and businesses were demolished to make room for the expansion, local historians said in a news release.
All that remains in the area that used to be Fussville is St. Anthony Parish, North Hills Country Club and a small collection of residences.
Within the last three years, the village has invested in the Fussville area, with then-village president Dave Glasgow telling the Journal Sentinel in 2022 that the area had been neglected.
The area now includes Fussville Station, a multi-use development which features new apartments and retail space.
Third Space Innovation Brewhouse opened in Fussville Station in June 2024 with a 112-seat taproom, a full bar and an outdoor patio.
Tennessen Flats, a 173-unit, four-story apartment, opened in March 2025, according to its Instagram page.
The historical marker dedication ceremony will begin on the southeast corner of Appleton Avenue and Good Hope Road at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21. The ceremony will include remarks from village officials, a team of researchers and past residents who will reflect on Fussville's past, present and future.
At 4 p.m., the celebration will shift to Third Space Innovation Brewhouse with live music by St. Anthony Parish School graduates Sean McGibany and Jack Reesman.
More: A community health center, eye clinic and church sanctuary have recently opened in the north suburbs
More: Check out these 2025 Memorial Day events in and around Milwaukee
Cathy Kozlowicz can be reached at 262-361-9132 or cathy.kozlowicz@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @kozlowicz_cathy.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Menomonee Falls is getting its first Wisconsin State Historical Marker
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