With a current population of 8,463 Hartland offers top rated schools, beautiful homes, fine churches, tree lined streets, and spacious parks. The Bark River runs through the downtown adding charm. It is a full-service village offering the best in home town amenities with metropolitan conveniences. Hartland provides full-time police, fire protection and emergency medical services. Hartland has enjoyed steady growth for the past 20 years and it continues to grow at expected population projections.

History of Hartland

You might say that the seed from which Hartland grew was planted in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Sometime in the fall of 1837, Stephen, the oldest of 13 children of the Sylvanus Warren family of Ann Arbor decided to move west and walked to Fort Dearborn (Chicago). He worked there and saved money for his journey and in February of 1838, he walked to Milwaukee and ultimately to Prairieville (Waukesha). In 1839 he bought 165 acres of land between Maple and Cottonwood Avenues (Hartland). Later he obtained probably another 80 acres east of Maple Avenue and became Hartland's first real estate man, settler and builder.

Other pioneers began farming the fertile Bark River Valley around 1837 and the village was known as Warren. Later, in 1842, a grist mill was built by Christian Hershey and the village was renamed Hersheyville. Even in those early days Hartland was a popular recreational site. A race track with a baseball diamond in its center was built in 1845. After horse races, the ball games between Hartland and neighboring towns drew as many as 10,000 people. Inns and resorts sprang up when the Watertown Plank Road (literally made from 10' log planks) was built in 1846. The first Post Office was opened that same year with William Clark as Postmaster. After the railroad came in 1854 the village was given the name it still holds - Hartland, after the Indian word "Shabaquanake".

As the fury of the Civil War descended upon the nation, Hartland continued to prosper. Settlers continued to arrive in the area, some from abroad, some from other parts of the United States and even some returning to the area after having tried their hand at endeavors in other parts of the country. The news of Fort Sumter's surrender reached areas around Hartland on Saturday evening, April 12, 1861, but was not generally disseminated until Sunday. Several soldiers are buried in area cemeteries.

In 1886, Hartland saw it's first local paper, The Hartland Index. It changed names and hands several times but continues to this day as The Lake Country Reporter.

Hartland was incorporated as a village in 1892. Until this time, the village had been divided between the townships of Merton and Delafield. An election was held on February 13, 1892, and a descendant of the original founding family, M.H. Warren was elected the first Village President. With roads, mills, stables, inns and a railway nested inside fertile farmland, Hartland developed into the village we know today.

Questions?

Hartland Historical Society
P.O. Box 54 Hartland, WI 53029
Phone: (262) 367-2979

Village of Hartland Amenities

• Affordable rental rates for retail and service businesses as low as $5.60 per square foot.
• Ample on-street parking and public parking lots in downtown.
• Downtown Hartland Village Library has over 116,000 library visitors annually.
• Popular Arrowhead School District educates over 6,775 students in K-12 per year.
• Pedestrian friendly walking and bike paths along the Ice Age Trail connect many downtown businesses alongside the beautiful Bark River.
• Recreational paradise in surrounding Lake Country has 13 lakes in a 5 mile radius.
• Year round special events spotlight the downtown merchants – Hometown Celebration Parade, Restaurant Crawl, Hartland Lights, and Out-N-About Gallery Night.