While a lot has changed over the years, many of Wisconsin’s little crossroads communities are frozen in time. In Calumet County, the small town of Charlesburg, Wisconsin is much as it was decades ago. Quiet and serene and anchored by a magnificent old church, this village also has a great supper club, so it’s a nice stop-off place if you’re exploring its scenic and historic farming region. Here’s what you need to know about this historic Wisconsin town.
Charlesburg is an unincorporated crossroads community in the Town of Brothertown. It’s a farming area, and the town is just a few miles south of Chilton.
Charlesburg is the northern end of a scenic region called the Wisconsin Holylands. It’s a part of Calumet and Fond du Lac counties that was settled by German immigrants in the 1840s.
The communities of the Holylands are all small, rural towns. They include Calvary, Jericho, Johnsburg, Marytown, Mount Calvary, St. Anna, St. Cloud, St. Joe, St. Peter, and Charlesburg.
The Holyland settlers brought a strong Catholic faith with them to this area, and old historic stone churches still dot the region. Charlesburg is home to the landmark St. Charles Church, which served its congregation from 1866 to 2005.
The first settlers arrived to this town in 1855. Some came from Bohemia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. The settlers were farmers, and this area remains farm country – some of the farms have been in the same family for generations. And not much has changed since this photo was taken in 1931.
A lot of the old family names can still be found in the area in and around Charlesburg – a high percentage of the population has German roots. You can meet some if you stop into Roepke’s Village Inn, a popular local haunt that serves up all the classic Wisconsin supper club favorites. The restaurant has been the heart of Charlesburg since it got its start in the 1800s as a saloon.
It's small town's like Charlesburg, WI that really make us appreciate our Badger State roots. Learn more about Charlesburg’s Roepke’s Village Inn on the restaurant’s website - but trust me, the food is delicious. Wisconsin has a lot of wonderful small towns like Charlesburg that are just waiting to be explored. Here are some of the best.
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