Wednesday, November 30th -0001
Summerfest, Once an Old Missile Site
By 3 History Geeks
Home to the world’s largest music festival, Summerfest will continue to make waves on Milwaukee’s lakefront at least through 2030.
Mayor Tom Barrett signed a lease extension for the grounds in January 2010. As a result, plans will move forward with the redesign of 22 acres on the south end of Summerfest.
The Summerfest grounds are also known as Henry Maier Festival Park in honor of Milwaukee’s longest-serving mayor. Henry Maier served as the mayor of Milwaukee from 1960 through 1988.
Summerfest was created in 1968 but was originally held in more than 30 locations throughout Milwaukee. The current, central location was first used in 1970.
This strip of land was the former location of Maitland Field, an airport named after Milwaukeean Lester Maitland. He was the first aviator in the world to cross the Pacific Ocean, doing so in 1927—one month after Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic.
Maitland Field closed after 1949. During the 1950s, the U.S. Army used the area as a Nike missile site—one of several Nike batteries established to defend Milwaukee during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Information on Summerfest Grounds Now and Then is provided by The 3 History Geeks. Check em out at http://www.3historygeeks.com/
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