There is a silly battle going on between Athens, Texas, and New Haven, Conn., over which can lay claim as the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich.

It is silly because everyone knows - or should know - that the hamburger was invented in Wisconsin.

It was invented in Seymour, west of Green Bay, in 1885 by a 15-year-old boy named Charlie Nagreen.

We will have more about "Hamburger Charlie" momentarily, but first let's hear from those in Texas and Connecticut who are arguing a moot point.

The current controversy began when a member of the Texas House of Representatives, Betty Brown, recently introduced a bill claiming that Athens is the home of the hamburger.

The local legend holds that an Athens luncheonette owner, Fletcher Davis, invented the sandwich in 1904 and took it that year to the World's Fair in St. Louis, where it was an immediate hit.

News of the pending Texas legislation was reported in the New Haven Register over last weekend, and, according to a report in Wednesday's New York Times, "a bit of food pandemonium hit."

Specifically, Jeff Lassen, the fourth-generation owner of a New Haven burger joint called Louis' Lunch, launched a counter-attack claiming his grandfather invented the hamburger when he opened his restaurant in 1895.

Lassen told the Times: "Look, this is not about business. We're not going to make any more or less money. We'll still serve hamburgers. But it is our family. And we know we're right."

The Library of Congress even acknowledges Louis' on the library Web site, with a citation that begins: "The first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Conn., at Louis' Lunch sandwich shop in 1895. Louis Lassen...•ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. Because he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush, he ground it up, grilled it, and served it between two slices of bread - and America's first hamburger was created."

Not there, it wasn't. With all due respect to Lassen and the Library of Congress, the issue was settled once and for all this past August, at the National Hamburger Festival in Akron, Ohio. And it was decided in favor of Charlie Nagreen and Seymour.

Nagreen was born in Hortonville in 1870. He was 15 in August 1885 when he traveled the 20 miles to the Seymour fair to sell his meatballs. The fair was bustling, with many displays and exhibits, and no one seemed to want to sit down long enough to eat a plate of meatballs. It was while watching the people walk past his meatball stand that inspiration struck Charlie, and the world was changed forever. He mashed a meatball flat, stuck it between two slices of bread, and sold it as something you could eat as you walked. In a nod to all the German immigrants who lived in the Hortonville-Seymour area, Charlie named his sandwich after a German staple, the so-called "Hamburg steak," which was a lesser quality cut ground to make it more digestible.

When Emil Wurm started working for Charlie Nagreen in 1917 - by that time Charlie had an ice cream store in Appleton, while still traveling the fair circuit selling hamburgers - he said Charlie spoke often about the "early days" and even had a sign indicating he'd been selling hamburgers "since 1885."

In 1947, when Charlie Nagreen was in his 62nd year of selling hamburgers, the Appleton Post did a story on him, and he reiterated he had been making and selling the sandwiches since 1885.

Last summer, at the annual National Hamburger Festival in Akron, organizers decided to settle the "birthplace" issue. It is interesting to note that Akron had a "horse in the race," as Frank and Charles Menches of Akron had laid claim to making the "first burger" sometime between 1885 and 1892. Also competing were representatives of Charlie Nagreen and Seymour; Louis Lassen and New Haven; and Fletcher Davis and Athens.

The city of Akron Web site reported the results in September: "There have been some classic trials in American history. However, never before has the question that everyone is afraid to address been brought to the courtroom....A mock trial called 'The Hamburger Hearings' was held to find out who really invented the hamburger. Four cities gathered to stake their claim in American history....The jury could not come to a decision, therefore, the judge decided to have a two-week online vote at hamburgerfestival.com."

The results of that online ballot brought a convincing victory for Charlie Nagreen and Seymour. They captured nearly 40 percent of the vote. Host Akron was next with 30 percent; Louis Lassen ran third with 27 percent; and Athens, Texas, was last with less than 4 percent.

The people had spoken.

On Tuesday, a Wisconsin legislator, Kaukauna Rep. Tom Nelson, announced his plans to introduce legislation in the Capitol to declare Seymour the official home of the hamburger.

I suppose it can't hurt, but Nelson really needn't bother. The truth is out there, the rest is condiments. Seymour is the home of the hamburger. Rest in peace, Charlie Nagreen.

Originally published online here: http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=115377&ntpid=3