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–Not graded
History · North Lake

North Lake’s post office opened in 1860, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1892 on.

1860first post office
0on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How North Lake began

When was North Lake founded?

1860

The North Lake post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 247166 years
Founding year: the first North Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about North Lake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of North Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18925 editions of the USGS map, 1892 to 1994. Watch North Lake change.Old housesHalf of North Lake’s homes were built before 1957.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start North Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how North Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

North Lake on the map, 1892 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of North Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

North Lake on the 1892 USGS mapNorth Lake on the 1909 USGS mapNorth Lake on the 1959 USGS mapNorth Lake on the 1971 USGS mapNorth Lake on the 1994 USGS map1892Oconomowoc sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of North Lake.

The story

How North Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of North Lake.

Read it all →

James Barney Marsh (1856–1936), engineer and bridge builder, was born in North Lake.

The land was initially school land, and during 1850 and 1851, Henry Shears built a sawmill. In 1853, he erected the present gristmill, shaping the community's early development

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

North Lake, decade by decade

Today6 recent
North Lake Fireman's Park2024North Lake Fireman's ParkTown Hall Library2023Town Hall LibrarySaint Peters Episcopal Church Cemetery 022023Saint Peters Episcopal Church Cemetery 02Saint Peters Episcopal Church Cemetery 012023Saint Peters Episcopal Church Cemetery 01North Lake2023North LakeNorth Lake (1)2023North Lake (1)
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

MertonIts storyC+ChenequaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about North Lake’s history

What year was North Lake founded?

The North Lake post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.