Stone Bank (formerly Newberg) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in the towns of Merton and

Oconomowoc Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oc ...

, in

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha. Waukesha Co ...

, United States.

History

Stone Bank was first settled in 1842 and had grist and saw mills. In 1858, the post office opened; a blacksmith shop and grocery store also opened. Churches and a cemetery were also established.

Community services

For over 100 years, the community supported and maintained the Stone Bank Fire Department which served the Towns of Oconomowoc and Merton with Fire, EMS, and Rescue services. The Stone Bank Fire Department also served portions of the Town of Ashippun with EMS services. SBFD dates back to 1907 and averaged 400 calls for service per year. Unfortunately, the fire department was overtaken by Western Lakes Fire District in 2020. Stone Bank School offers kindergarten (K4) through 8th grade and is a part of the

Arrowhead Union School District An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as s ...

. The son of renowned local architect

Alexander C. Eschweiler Alexander Chadbourne Eschweiler (August 10, 1865 – June 12, 1940) was an American architect with a practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He designed both residences and commercial structures. His eye-catching Japonist pagoda design for filling st ...

, Carl Eschweiler, has his diploma hanging in the front office of Stone Bank School.

Geography

Stone Bank is situated about 4.5 miles northeast of the city of

along Waukesha County Highways K and C. It is on the north shore of

Okauchee Lake Okauchee Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,094 at the 2020 census. Okauchee Lake is located in the town of Oconomowoc. Geography Okauchee Lake is located at (43.119454, − ...

and also has extensive shorelines with Moose Lake. The surface geology of the Oconomowoc region as a whole is glacial, part of the

Kettle Moraine Kettle Moraine is a large moraine in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It stretches from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. It has also been referred to as the ''Kettle Range'' and, in geological texts, as the '' ...

region of Southeastern Wisconsin. Okauchee and Moose lakes are both kettle lakes as are all nearby lakes.Wisconsin DNR page on the Kettle Moraine forest's geology
/ref> The soil is, therefore, very rich with clays and organics, suitable for farming. Much of the farming done in Stone Bank is

corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

, or

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

. Because of the urban encroachment from

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, much of this farmland is being subdivided for neighborhoods. One prominent feature in the area is the large ridge between Moose Lake and Okauchee Lake. County Highway C runs along this ridge between

Nashotah Nashotah is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,395 at the 2010 census. The village took its name from the nearby Nashotah Lakes. Education Nashotah House, a seminary of The Episcopal Church, is in Nashot ...

and its termination at the Stone Bank Market and Pantheon Industries, which is an organization that strives to help individuals with disabilities achieve their full potential through a variety of employment opportunities. Downtown is bordered on the East side by this formation and on the west side by another hill that runs just west of Breezy Point Road. This hill terminates at Breezy Point, a small point in Okauchee Lake. At the base of the east hill lies the Oconomowoc River, a stream that runs through North Lake and meets Okauchee Lake in a small marsh between the east hill and Lakeview Drive.

Landmarks

*Stone Bank Community Park

Events

There are many festivals and events held at the Stone Bank Community Park. In addition, the Stone Bank Fire Department typically holds an annual Pancake Breakfast and Open House in May.

References

External links

Stone Bank Fire DepartmentStone Bank School
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Waukesha County, Wisconsin Unincorporated communities in Wisconsin