Doug Schmidt
Historically Speaking…
Welcome to the new Franklin, Wis., Historical Society website! I was elected president of the FHS in May 2025, but I am not new here. My roots in Franklin history go back more than 100 years to 1875, when my great-grandfather, Fred Ludwig, emigrated here from Germany at the age…
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Loomis Pony Express
Most Franklin, Greendale, and Greenfield area residents have traveled along Highway 36, more commonly known as Loomis Road, but few know the origins of its name. In the early 1800s, the southwestern portion of Milwaukee County was largely a frontier. As townships began to transform the landscape, a pony express…
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The Legacy of Al Block
ALFRED “AL” BLOCK 1928-2018 Patriarch of the Franklin Historical Society Al Block died February 17, 2018 at the age of 90 after a long, distinguished life. He wore many hats, from teacher and administrator to war veteran and conservationist. But above all, he will be remembered as an educator who…
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A Man of Vision – Franklin’s Tom Godsell
As the history of a city is written there are certain individuals who are usually recognized as being responsible for major changes in that city. One of those men was Tom Godsell — often called the “Founding Father of Franklin”. Serving as Town Chairman from 1949 to 1956, he was…
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St. Peter’s Chapel: Then & Now
Franklin: Then and Now ST. PETER’S CHAPEL: THEN & NOW It was once known as St. Peter’s Lutheran Church when it stood on its original site located on S. 68th St., north of Rawson Avenue. Built in 1869 by German Lutherans who had left St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Franklin,…
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Franklin: Then and Now The Sacred Heart School of Theology, located on Hwy. 100 near Rawson Avenue, was originally known as the Sacred Heart Monastery and as a seminary for the training of men into the priesthood. It was originally built across the street from the present buildings. The original…
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