Stephan Warren, founder of this community, walked to the area from Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1838 and staked a homesteader claim in what became central Hartland. The first church was founded in 1842, when early worshipers meeting in homes voted to become the First Congregational Church. The Watertown Plank Road, now Capitol Drive, was completed in 1848 and became a highway for delivering grains and hops to Milwaukee breweries. The columned Burr Oak Tavern at 315/317 E. Capitol Drive, built circa 1853 kitty-corner from here, provided rest for travelers on the road. Warren built his own timber-framed brick home in 1855, and in 1857 he donated this land so the congregation could build a small yellow brick church. He also presented his wife Mary with a melodeon for her new home, and each Sunday it was carried across the street to the church and back. Today’s church, designed by William Redden, was built in Late Gothic Revival style in 1924 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the Stephan Warren Home and Burr Oak Tavern structure; the Warren melodeon remains in the church.