Ulao, 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.

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.

Lakefield is an unincorporated community located in the Town of Grafton in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Lakefield is located at the intersection of County T (Lakefield Road) and County W (Port Washington Road).

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.

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.

Lion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve is a 73-acre public park located in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, running adjacent to Lake Michigan for 0.7 miles near the village of Grafton and city of Port Washington. It was purchased by the county in 2002 from a private property owner and borders a 44-acre United States Fish and Wildlife Service waterfowl production area. The gorge was named after an animal that had escaped from the Milwaukee County zoo and spent several nights in the area. It features over 1.5 miles of gravel and boardwalk trails through white cedar and hardwood forests, wetlands, and Lion's Den Gorge, with some sections of trails offering views of Lake Michigan from atop the nearly 100 foot tall bluffs. Following the "Lion's Den Trail" from the main parking lot takes one all the way through the park, down through the gorge, and finally to the lakeshore. Fishing, hiking, birdwatching, and picnicking are popular activities in the park, and the park contains several diverse habitats for native wildflowers, trees, migratory birds, waterfowl, amphibians and mammals.

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.

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.

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 Payne Hotel is a former stagecoach inn located along Highway 33 in Saukville, Wisconsin. Deemed worthy of preservation, the hotel has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since March 14, 1991.William Payne was born in London in 1806 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1826. In 1846 he founded Saukville, building a sawmill and gristmill on the Milwaukee River. In 1848 he built the Payne Hotel where the old Dekorra Military Road met the old Green Bay Trail. It served as a stagecoach stop for people traveling between Chicago/Milwaukee and Green Bay.The hotel is a 2.5-story wood-frame building. It is in Greek Revival style, with a low-pitched roof, cornice returns, and symmetric windows and chimneys. Along with serving travelers, it hosted dances for locals in the ballroom on the third floor. It may well have hosted local meetings too, since Payne served as a Town Supervisor, Commissioner of Highways, and Justice of the Peace.