Catholic roots still resonate in Milwaukee's Fernwood neighborhood

Interested in learning a little more about the city’s south side neighborhood Fernwood? Look no further.

The neighborhood has Catholic roots, and that's clear even today. While it’s not in the neighborhood proper, right on the edge of it rests the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, a large longtime Catholic congregation.

More than that, the neighborhood is in a mostly residential part of the city, with Bay View to its north and the suburb of St. Francis to its south. Still, the quiet part of the city has plenty to offer, with the commercial street of Kinnickinnic Avenue running through it, along with an elementary school and a snug park or two.

Here’s what to know about Fernwood.

Where is Milwaukee’s Fernwood neighborhood?

The relatively small Fernwood neighborhood is to the south of the Bay View neighborhood, east of the Tippecanoe neighborhood and north of the suburb of St. Francis. Lake Michigan is to the east.

Officially, the neighborhood is bordered by Oklahoma Avenue to its north, Lake Michigan to its east, Interstate 794 to its west and St. Francis Avenue to its south.

Fernwood was home to Catholic settlers

According to the Neighborhoods in Milwaukee, a nonprofit organization of local anthropologists, Fernwood's Catholic roots stem from German farmers settling in what is now the neighborhood. The mainly Catholic immigrants created a hamlet called New Koln and 50 of the settlers founded the St. Stephen’s Catholic Parish in the middle of the 19th century. New Koln was in the area that was part of the Town of Lake, which is now made up of the Fernwood, Tippecanoe and St. Francis Heights neighborhoods.

Over the years, Fernwood’s religious leaders wanted to keep German culture prominent as well, believing in a “language preserves faith” idea, according to Neighborhoods in Milwaukee. However, by the late 1800s, eastern European Catholics immigrated to the area and brought other cultural traditions.

Through the 1900s, more Catholic institutions began to populate the neighborhood as well, the local anthropologists wrote. Among those was St. Mary's Academy, a high school for young girls, and the former St. Clare College, which later relocated and became known as Cardinal Stritch University to the north of Milwaukee and closed in 2023.

The neighborhood is now mostly residential

Fernwood’s religious roots and heritages are still prevalent.

Neighborhoods in Milwaukee reported that, in 2021, nine in 10 residents of Fernwood are still European American, with half of that group claiming German ancestry and Polish and Irish as second and third. To this day, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the St. Francis de Sales Seminary are still prominent organizations on the neighborhood’s border.

Most of the neighborhood’s businesses and other major organizations are on Kinnickinnic Avenue.

Fernwood Montessori School can be found at 3239 S. Pennsylvania Ave and, just to the neighborhood’s south, is St. Thomas More High School and Deer Creek Intermediate School.

What to do in Fernwood?

While relatively small compared its surrounding neighborhoods, Fernwood still offers a charming handful of locally owned businesses and other things to do.

For business, the downhome-style eatery Landmark Family Restaurant has breakfast and lunch grub at an affordable price. South of it is Busby’s, 3475 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., a recently reopened neighborhood bar with cocktails and craft beer on draft. A charming coffee shop, Sprocket Café, is at 3385 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., and next door is vintage store Good Land Antiques.

The neighborhood also has two parks: Morgan Park and Ellen Park. The first is a small triangle, sometimes known as Morgan Triangle, and typically hosts an event called Food Truck Friday during the Bay View Gallery Night, an annual art festival that takes place in the nearby neighborhood.

Fernwood’s easternmost border also brings you to the Oak Leaf Trail and Lake Michigan. That trail will take you all along the city’s shoreline and offers access to the beach and beer gardens.

Fernwood’s proximity to the Bay View and Tippecanoe neighborhoods means the nearby offerings are only a quick drive or walk away as well.

New to the neighborhood? Here's how to access Milwaukee services

The Fernwood neighborhood is in the 14th aldermanic district. Contact your alderperson and find news about the district at city.milwaukee.gov/CommonCouncil/CouncilMembers/District14.

The Fernwood neighborhood is within Police District 6. Public meetings take place once a month on Thursdays. Visit city.milwaukee.gov/police/districts/District-6 for more information.

Find your garbage and recycling schedule at city.milwaukee.gov/sanitation/GarbageRecyclingSchedules.

Learn how to register to vote and find your polling place at city.milwaukee.gov/election/Voter-Info.

Need to borrow tools for a home improvement project? Check out the city’s Tool Loan Center, 2500 W. Capitol Drive. More details at bit.ly/MKE_ToolLoan.

Want to get emailed updates about police activity, new development and more in your neighborhood? Sign up for the city’s e-notify system at city.milwaukee.gov/News-Events/enotify.

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What makes your Milwaukee neighborhood special to you? Do you have any photos in the neighborhood you'd like to share? Tell us at bit.ly/MKE_Neighborhoods.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's Fernwood neighborhood has much to offer. Here's what to know.