HOWARDS GROVE – While many communities settled on a name quickly, Howards Grove took a few twists and turns through the years.
According to a Sheboygan Press clipping from 1966, the first settlers formed a Lipper settlement in 1846. Lipper settlers were a group of 19th-century German immigrants from the former Principality of Lippe in northwestern Germany who settled in and around Sheboygan County.
Those early settlers included F. Beckfeld, D. Nordholz, Fred Bender, C. Meyer, William Kalk, Henrich Mahlstedt, Christian Wieht, William Siemers, Fred Reineking and Ernst W. Schlichting.
Schlichting owned all the land in Section 35 and earned the name “Der Busch Koenig,” or “The Bush King,” as a result.
In 1847, Charles Oetling arrived and purchased land for a farm. At the same time, Henry G. Mueller arrived, purchased acreage along the Pigeon River, and built a home, farm buildings and the first crude sawmill.
By 1854, Mueller had purchased the entire village land in Section 26. He laid out lots and sold them to incoming settlers. As the area grew, it became known as “Mueller Villa.” Later, as more people settled in the area, the name evolved to “Millersville” after its founder.
Mueller’s sawmill was built in 1854. It later burned down and was rebuilt in 1866 with a grist mill added.
Howards Grove got its name from Herman Howard and a grove of trees
In December 1848, Herman B. Howard bought land from John Foster in the center of what is now Howards Grove. Howard built the Howard Hotel and guest house amid a grove of trees.
The entire area of the Town of Herman was named after Herman Howard and that grove of trees. The name Howards Grove was coined, and it remains in use today.
The first town meeting was held at the Howard Hotel. Charles Oetling was the chairman, whose son Otto was the first white man born in Howards Grove in 1847, according to the Press clipping. The first child born in Howards Grove was a daughter born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bender in 1846.
Howards Grove’s first post office was established in 1849. Farmers got their mail once or twice a week, arriving mostly on foot. The post office site changed three times because of political pressure, according to the Press.
The communities of Millersville and Howards Grove maintained separate identities for more than 120 years until the 1960s, when a sanitary district was created. It was more cost-effective for one treatment plant to be built for the communities.
According to a Press article, the first treatment plant was designed to treat sewage for a population of 1,500. In the 2020 census, the population was 3,200.
Howards Grove-Millersville name sparked debate before voters chose Howards Grove
In 1966, Howards Grove and Millersville voters said they favored the name Howards Grove-Millersville for the new village. The village consisted of 640 acres. At the time, 927 people lived there in 264 family units, the Press said.
Following a referendum, the name Howards Grove-Millersville won with 53% of the 329 votes cast in 1966.
On Aug. 1, 1967, Howards Grove and Millersville incorporated as Howards Grove-Millersville, becoming the county’s 10th and fourth-largest village.
The new name, likely to the angst of letter writers to the village, set a record, too. The 24-letter title became the longest in Wisconsin at the time.
However, two village officials told the Press they were disappointed by the name issue.
Clerk Reuben Hoppe said: “You wonder why so many people forgot what was said a year before incorporation of our village … that if incorporation of the two villages would take place, we would have a new name for a new village and not Howards Grove and not Millersville.”
Treasurer Martin Grunewald felt the village’s identity was slipping away. Grunewald said that was because the very first home and school were built in Millersville.
The area’s name controversy had raged since the spring of 1967, when residents rejected fanciful names such as Forward and Harmony, according to the Press. Some even wanted the name to be simply Riverside.
Debate over the Howards Grove-Millersville name intensified enough to prompt another referendum in 1971. Howards Grove won by a large margin, the Press reported. A total of 313 voters favored the name Howards Grove. Another 190 residents wanted to change it to Riverside, and only four wanted to retain the name Howards Grove-Millersville.
The election that cemented the name Howards Grove was well attended, with nearly 100% of voting-age residents turning out.
Gary C. Klein has written Throwback Thursdays since 2017, covering dozens of businesses, people, sports and events from the early days of the area to recent history. He has been a photographer for the Press since 1993. He can be reached at 920-453-5149 or gklein@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @leicaman99. Check out his other work at www.sheboyganpress.com/staff/4383066002/gary-c-klein/.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Naming Howards Grove had a few twists and turns since 1846
Reporting by Gary C. Klein, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
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By Gary C. Klein, Sheboygan Press | USA TODAY Network
