Lakefield, Wisconsin

Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about 20 miles (32 km) north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The village incorporated in 1896, and at the time of the 2010 census the population was 11,459. Like many of Ozaukee County's cities and villages, the Village of Grafton has rural roots and began as a mill town. The German and Irish immigrants who settled in Grafton in the 1840s utilized the Milwaukee River as a source of hydropower for gristmills and woolen mills. Manufacturing grew and prospered in the village in the 20th century, including the Paramount Records studio and plant, which was in Grafton from 1929 to 1935. Paramount was one of the first and largest producers of blues and jazz records marketed to African-American consumers. Paramount's role in Grafton's history and Blues music history earned the village a spot on the historic Mississippi Blues Trail.Grafton changed significantly during the period of post-World War II suburbanization. Even though the last woolen mill closed in 1980, the village experienced rapid population growth and the development of new commercial properties and housing subdivisions. The construction of Interstate 43 in the mid-1960s eased travel to neighboring communities. In the 21st century, Grafton is home to many big-box stores as well as an Aurora hospital.

Ulao, Wisconsin ( yoo-LAY-oh) is an unincorporated community in the Town of Grafton in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at the intersection of Ulao Road and the old Chicago and Northwestern railroad running from Milwaukee to Green Bay. Today, I-43 runs a few hundred feet to the west of the town. The Ulao Creek flows through the community.

Grafton High School is a secondary school in Grafton, Wisconsin. It is part of the Grafton School District. The only public high school in Grafton, it has a student enrollment of around 700.

The Milwaukee Falls Lime Company is the former owner of a limestone quarry and lime kilns located in Grafton, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. The quarry and kilns are now Lime Kiln Park, which also features a pavilion, playground, walking paths, sledding hill, horseshoe pits, and disc golf course.

The Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill is a former woolen mill on the Milwaukee River in Grafton, Wisconsin. In the late-1800s, the Cedarburg Woolen Company in neighboring Cedarburg decided to expand their production by opening a second mill.

The Grafton Flour Mill is a former grist mill on the Milwaukee River in Grafton, Wisconsin, United States. The original section was built in 1846 by a group of Yankee farmers as a flour mill and produced flour for many years through a succession of owners. In 1884, the mill caught fire and had to be partially rebuilt. The owner went bankrupt after the fire and sold the mill to the White Lily Flour company. During the Great Depression it was bought by the neighboring Badger Worsted Mill and was converted to produce worsted yarn. The company left Grafton in 1980, but the building still houses a yarn store, which began as the Badger Worsted Company's factory store, but is now independently owned. The building also houses a coffeeshop, offices, and studios. On June 30, 1983, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Paramount Plaza Walk of Fame honors artists who recorded for Paramount Records in Grafton, Wisconsin with a 'piano key'. The first of a total of 44 'piano keys' is 2 feet (0.61 m) wide by 7 feet (2.1 m) long and made of black granite to resemble a keyboard. Annually, additional keys – placed by the Village of Grafton – will be inscribed with the names of artists who recorded for Paramount Records. Starting in 2006, the first inductees chosen by the Paramount GIG ('Grooves In Grafton') organization, in Grafton, were Charley Patton, Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Skip James, Thomas Dorsey, and Henry Townsend.

Ulao Creek is a 9.2-mile-long (14.8 km) tributary of the Milwaukee River in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It begins in a swampy area south of Port Washington in the town of Grafton and flows south through Ulao. It roughly parallels Interstate 43 before crossing to the west of the freeway just south of Lakefield Road. The creek then flows to the southwest into Mequon, where it joins the Milwaukee River at Bonniwell Road.

Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin. It is part of the seven-member Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is a coeducational institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, offering 78 undergraduate majors and minors, 17 graduate programs, eight accelerated adult education programs, and three doctoral/professional programs, as well as accelerated evening and e-learning programs. Doctoral degrees are offered in pharmacy, physical therapy, and nursing practice. CUW also has 10 classroom centers providing community outreach with full adult education and post-graduate programs. CUW's School of Pharmacy is one of three pharmacy schools in Wisconsin—the others being University of Wisconsin–Madison and Medical College of Wisconsin. The university is organized into five schools or colleges: the School of Education, the School of Business and Legal Studies, the School of Human Services, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Adult and Continuing Education. In 2013, Concordia University Wisconsin merged with Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA) to be collectively known as CUWAA.

The Concordia Mill is a former gristmill on Cedar Creek located in Hamilton, Wisconsin, United States. The limestone mill was built in 1853 by Edward H. Janssen and his brother, Theodore, along with a Mr. Gaitsch with locally quarried limestone. In 1881, the mill's dam washed out during heavy spring flooding and was rebuilt sometime later. The mill operated until World War II when it was converted into a distillery that operated for several years. On April 26, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and the surrounding area, known as the Hamilton Historic District was added to the NRHP two years later.

The Bigelow School is a historic former school located at 4228 W. Bonniwell Rd. in Mequon, Wisconsin. The one-story red brick school was built in 1929; it was one of the last schools built in Mequon and is one of many extant school buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the city. Designed by William J. Redden, the school's architecture utilizes the Classical Revival and Prairie School styles and features a hipped roof, flaring eaves, and a front entry decorated with a brick surround and a stone keystone and plaque. The school closed in the 1960s due to school consolidation.The Bigelow School was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 2000.

The Kevich Light is a lighthouse located in the town of Grafton, Wisconsin. This lighthouse was built privately by a person who has a general interest in lighthouses. It is built on the former site of the unincorporated community of Ulao, Wisconsin. It is listed on the USCG navigation maps as a private light. In 1990 it was officially registered as a United States Coast Guard Class II Private Aid Light. It is listed as light no. 20765. The light sits on a bluff and is 120 feet (37 m) above the lake level, making it the second highest light on Lake Michigan. Its 1,000 and 400 watt bulbs are surrounded by a rotating shield, resulting in four seconds of light, and then four seconds of darkness. Kevich Light is believed to be one of the last few privately owned lights in the entire United States.