by Fred H. Keller, Village Historian

The first settlers in the immediate area of the future Village of Sussex were George Elliott and Richard Cooling. Cooling opened a blacksmith shop near the four-corners in June 1843. Shortly afterwards other villagers came. There were names such as Frey, Smith, Brown, Champeny, Sims, Stone, Weaver and others. The four-corners area of Sussex were intersected by Main and South Streets (today’s Maple Ave.)

The first business was the blacksmith shop, opened by William Brown about 1849. A Union store was opened in 1854, but was something of a failure, falling into the hands of Richard Cooling. Cooling became the Sussex Postmaster January 6, 1851. Cooling had the combined general store and post office for a decade, finally turning it over to his son-in-law, James Templeton. Templeton was a Civil War veteran who went on to prominent political positions.

St. Alban’s wooden church and its cemetery were constructed at the central core of Sussex. The original church of wood was replaced by a stone church in 1864-66.

1866 saw construction of $1,100 for the Town of Lisbon Hall just to the west of the four corners. 1867 saw the first Main St. School built on the eastern edge of the growing village, a two-room cream city brick structure.

In 1885-86 a great event took place as the first railroad train came through. The Wisconsin Central was located one mile east of Sussex with a new village being started there first called Buck Town, then East Sussex and finally Templeton, after its most successful businessman, politician and postmaster, James Templeton. Both old Sussex and Templeton had separate post offices and rural routes.

1886 also saw the construction of a lumber company located adjacent to the Wisconsin Central Railroad.

In 1890 came the construction of the Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls and Western Railroad (Bug Line) to Maple Ave. where the Small family put up Sussex Mills. The following years, the Bug Line was expanded westward to Merton and North Lake.

The big reason for the Bug Line was the Templeton Lime and Stone Co. The quarry where Friday Canning is today employed 50 workers earning between 12 and 15 centers per hour, producing “burnt” lime in multi kilns.

1898 saw construction of the Marsden building across from Main St. School. It became the Baer General Store.

1910-12 brought construction of the Northwestern Railroad, a half-mile north of Sussex’s Main St. There now were four railroad depots in the twin communities of Sussex-Templeton.

The 1920’s experienced additional major changes as electric power, a concrete Main St., and incorporation of the Village of Sussex, breaking away from the Town of Lisbon.

The Mammoth Spring Canning Company was started in 1920, canning its first crop in 1921.

A January 20, 1922 fire destroyed the 9-year-old two-story Main Street School. This, in turn, led to formation of a fire company in May 1922, which was the forerunner of today’s Sussex Fire Department.

In 1924, the man who was primarily responsible for building the canning factory, rebuilding the Main Street School, and starting the Sussex Fire Department gathered a group of local leaders together to incorporate Sussex and Templeton into a true village. This leader was John P. Kraemer.

In January 1923, there was a first attempt at incorporation. It failed. On June 30, 1924, sixteen local leaders signed a second petition: Kraemer, Frank T. Grogan, J.C. Lingelbach, Henry C. Woodchick, Paul E. Schroeder, Charles Wileden, William E. Russell, Carl Marx, George W. Lawler, C.D. Greulich, Fred Stier, J.W. Cannon, George Neumeuller, William E. Edwards, George Podolske and James Booth.

The election was held August 19, 1924 with a tally of 113 “yes” and 78 “no” votes plus one blank. The election was accepted on September 12, 1924 with Sussex-Templeton becoming the Village of Sussex.

Frank Grogan served as the first president.

Notable happenings in the seventy-six years of the Village of Sussex: grand opening of the WPA-built Sussex Community Hall, October 27, 1937; burning of the old Marsden, Lees, Schumann General Store building, April 26, 1966; the increase in population from 496 in the 1930 census, to the 1990 population of 5,222, the purchase of the first Village Park in 1958, the start of a wastewater treatment plant in 1960 and a municipal water system in 1976. A key happening was the creation of an industrial park in 1980. A Sussex Library was added in October 1980. This has evolved into the Pauline Haass Public Library of Sussex-Lisbon.

1959 saw the local school system become part of Union High School Joint No. 6, which evolved into the Hamilton School District in 1962. 1986 saw a joint celebration of the Lisbon-Sussex 150th anniversary of the coming of the first settlers to the local area back in 1836.

Visit the Sussex Lisbon Historical Society or the Pauline Haass Library for more additional information and books by Fred Keller about the history of Sussex.