The Community of Merton- Town and Village
see also Lake Keesus of Merton Township and
Merton Township Historical Documents
Compiled and Edited by Michael R.Reilly
Last Revised 04/28/2013
Main St. in Merton circa 1900
Main St. further north by the present day Bug Line
The Township of Merton,established in 1839 originally as the Town of Warren. The Village of Merton wasincorporated in 1922.
*Area Code for the Community is 262.
TheVillage was Incorporated in 1922 with a Population of 257. The firstpresident was William West Brown. The Board consisted of twoTrustees, a Clerk, Treasurer, Assessor, and Constable and Justice of the Peace.The Village proper was main street and a small section of Huntington to thewest. Today the Village has 1390 residents, 10 subdivisions and is about Two(2)square miles. The Village Board consists of a President, Four Trustees,Clerk-Treasurer and Deputy Clerk-Treasurer, Historian, Police Department ofSix(6) officers, a Maintenance Department with Four(4) employees, an Assessorand a Building Inspection Department.
The Fire Department started with 15members and one truck in 1917. Today the Department has Forty(40) membersand Twelve(12) Emt’s on the Emergency Service. In 1937 they built a firestation on Main street. In 1976 the Village Office areas were remodeled.A building addition added room for the Police Department, Fire Department andMaintenance. Activities the Fire Department sponsored are purchasing Fireman’sPark, and during the forties and fifties the Fire Department held carnival inthe park. Many great times are remembered from these Carnivals
circa 1910 – 1920
Same scene but earlier?
During the 30’s and 40’s, summer outdoormovies were shown from the lawn of Mayhew’s Ice Cream Parlor.People would sit on the hill at Bies’s now John Audley’sproperty. In the early fifties the movies were moved to Firemen’s Parks.
Merton Mill Pond (Bark River) c. 1911
The Merton State Graded School started in 1843in a log cabin on a slab foundation, with D.S. Foote teacher and owner of building. He taught any and allstudents whose parents could afford to pay him to tutor. In 1848 theDistrict 6 Township of Warren, later named Merton, erected a school. A whiteframe building was built on Huntington Street. Later a brick building was placedon the site of present school. The school went from 100 students from 5 to 20years of age to today’s enrollment of 737 pupils and 70 on the facility staff. Anew primary school housing kindergarten thru third opened in the fall of 1996.The other classes forth thru eight remains in the existing structure.
First Baptist Church of Merton – Organized asthe Warren Baptist Church in 1843 by natives of New England. Church buildingdates from 1855. Present address: N6996 Main St., Merton, WI 53956.
American Memories, Merton Baptist Church engineering diagrams
The Village has manygreat organizations for people to join. The Lake Keesus Women’s Club, TheMerton Business People Organization, Flake Chasers, Snowmobile Club, MertonAthletic Association, Merton & North Lake Lions Club.
Merton Band 1906
Swimming in Bark River, Merton, Wisconsin, c. 1910
Two historic Merton documents:1889 Merton-Erin Joint School District census and an1844 Highway/Road change terminating a diagonal road from Lisbon into Merton (present day Cty Trunk MD and Huntington Street?)