Wildwood

The Wildwood, also known as German's Wildwood, was a women's bar at 1430 W. Walnut Avenue on Milwaukee's near north side, operating from October 1959 to 1964. Remembered as a hangout for very butch lesbians, it was a rough but fiercely protective space where regulars defended women from male harassment. Contributors recalled failing plumbing and the bar sometimes being lit only by candles. It was owned by Norman Ver Bruggen from 1959 until early 1963, when he sold it to Wilbert German.

The bar drew repeated citations and judicial scrutiny before closing in 1964; the building was later cleared in an urban renewal project.