Rockfield, Wisconsin

Last updated
Rockfield, Wisconsin
USA Wisconsin location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Rockfield, Wisconsin
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Rockfield, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°15′27″N88°07′34″W / 43.25750°N 88.12611°W / 43.25750; -88.12611 Coordinates: 43°15′27″N88°07′34″W / 43.25750°N 88.12611°W / 43.25750; -88.12611
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin
County Washington
Elevation
277 m (909 ft)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s) 262
GNIS feature ID1572481 [1]

Rockfield was a hamlet that was annexed by the Village of Germantown in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States.

History

A post office called Rockfield was established in 1876, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1997. [2] The community was named from a nearby field containing marked rocks. [3] The area is rich in Silurian limestone, and beginning in the 1870s quarries and lime kilns operated in the area. [4] [5]

From July 1944 until January 1946, Rockfield was the site of Camp Rockfield, an Allied prisoner of war camp that held 500 German prisoners of war, including captured members of the Afrika Korps and many soldiers captured at the Battle of Cherbourg. The prisoners had originally been held at Fort Sheridan, north of Chicago, but were transferred camps in rural Wisconsin, such as the one at Rockfield, to work in agriculture. The prisoners lived in a barracks that had originally been built as a warehouse for the local Rockfield Canning Company, where many prisoners worked as pea packers. Other POWs were transported to work sites throughout Ozaukee and Washington counties, including the Pick Manufacturing Company in West Bend and the Fromm Bros., Nieman & Co. Fox Ranch in northern Mequon. [6]

Related Research Articles

Washington County, Wisconsin County in Wisconsin, United States

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,887. Its county seat is West Bend. The county was created from Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1845. It was named after President George Washington.

Ozaukee County, Wisconsin County in Wisconsin, United States

Ozaukee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 86,395. Its county seat is Port Washington, making it one of three Wisconsin counties on Lake Michigan not to have a county seat with the same name.

Mequon, Wisconsin City in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Mequon is the largest city in Ozaukee County, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and the third-largest city in Wisconsin by land area. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Despite being an incorporated city, approximately half of Mequon's land is undeveloped and agriculture plays a significant role in the local economy. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 23,132.

Thiensville, Wisconsin Village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Thiensville is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the west bank of a bend in the Milwaukee River, the community is bordered on all sides by the City of Mequon and is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 3,235 at the 2010 census.

Barton, Wisconsin Town in Washington County, Wisconsin

Barton is a town in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,546 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Young America is located in the town.

Hartford is a town in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. A portion of the city of Hartford within Washington County is located adjacent to the town, but the two are politically independent. The population of the town was 4,031 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Pike Lake is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Saint Lawrence is also located partially in the town.

Richfield, Wisconsin Village in Washington County, Wisconsin

Richfield is a village in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,300 at the 2010 census. The previously unincorporated community of Hubertus is located in the village as well as the communities of Colgate, Pleasant Hill, and Lake Five, which are partially located in Richfield.

Hartford, Wisconsin City in Washington County, Wisconsin

Hartford is a city in Washington and Dodge counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 14,223. All of this population resided in the Washington County portion of the city. The portion of the city in Dodge County consists of only industrial/commercial parcels. Located approximately 38 miles northwest of Downtown Milwaukee and 22 miles from city limits, Hartford is located on the outer edge of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

Fredonia, Wisconsin Village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Fredonia is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Milwaukee River, the village is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 2,160 at the 2010 census.

Fredonia (town), Wisconsin Town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Fredonia is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,903 at the 2000 census. The Village of Fredonia is surrounded by the town. The unincorporated communities of Little Kohler and Waubeka are also located in the town.

Port Washington (town), Wisconsin Town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Port Washington is a town in Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It surrounds the northern and western side of the city of Port Washington. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,631. The unincorporated communities of Druecker and Knellsville are also located in the town.

Port Washington, Wisconsin City and county seat of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore east of Interstate 43, the community is a suburb in the Milwaukee metropolitan area 27 miles north of the City of Milwaukee. The city's artificial harbor at the mouth of Sauk Creek was dredged in the 1870s and was a commercial port until the early 2000s. The population was 11,250 at the 2010 census.

Germantown, Washington County, Wisconsin Town in Washington County, Wisconsin

Germantown is a town in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 278 at the 2000 census. It is surrounded by the village of Germantown.

Germantown, Wisconsin Village in Washington County, Wisconsin

Germantown is a village in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 19,749 at the 2010 census. The village surrounds the Town of Germantown. In July 2007, Germantown was ranked the 30th most appealing place to live in the United States by Money Magazine.

Kewaskum (town), Wisconsin Town in Washington County, Wisconsin

Kewaskum is a town in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,119 at the 2000 census. The incorporated community of Village of Kewaskum is surrounded geographically by the Town of Kewaskum. The unincorporated community of Saint Michaels is located partially in the town.

Kewaskum, Wisconsin Village in Fond du Lac and Washington counties, Wisconsin

Kewaskum is a village in Washington and Fond du Lac counties in Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,004 at the 2010 census. All of this population resided in the Washington County portion of the village. The village is mostly surrounded by the Town of Kewaskum.

Milwaukee Road Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road", was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.

The Milwaukee metropolitan area is a major metropolitan area located in Southeastern Wisconsin, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and the surrounding area. There are several definitions of the area, including the Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis metropolitan area and the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha combined statistical area. It is the largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin, and the 39th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Granville, Milwaukee Former community in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin

Granville was a town located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. One portion was incorporated as the village of Brown Deer in 1955; the remainder consolidated with the City of Milwaukee in 1956, and became a neighborhood of Milwaukee.

Hamilton, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin Unincorporated community in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin

Hamilton is an unincorporated community located in the Town of Cedarburg, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Much of the community is part of the Hamilton Historic District, a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The NRHP-listed Concordia Mill is also located in the community.

References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Rockfield, Wisconsin
  2. "Washington County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  3. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 119.
  4. Quickert, Carl (1912). Washington County, Wisconsin: Past and Present. Chicago, IL: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 139.
  5. "Encyclopedia of Milwaukee: Germantown". University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  6. Cowley, Betty (2002-01-01). Stalag Wisconsin: Inside WW II Prisoner-of-war Camps. Badger Books Inc. pp. 227–31. ISBN   9781878569837.