OUR HISTORY

Evergreen State Bank can trace its beginnings back to 1899 when a group of local individuals raised the necessary capital to obtain a national bank charter and formed First National Bank of Stoughton.

First National Bank of Stoughton was granted a bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and opened for business on October 11, 1899. The original organizers of the bank were Leander Choate of Oshkosh, L.D. Moses and Charles Cowan of Ripon, and M.A. Johnson and J.F. Melaas of Stoughton.

Mr. Moses served as the bank’s first president and Mr. Melaas was the first cashier of the bank. The bank’s first office was on the corner of West Main and North Division Street in Stoughton, now the site of the Cinema Café. Total assets of the bank at the end of 1899 were nearly $75,000.

Since our founding in 1899, the bank has had only ten presidents:

On Monday, March 19, 1962, the bank moved to a new building at 207 South Forrest Street in Stoughton. The new bank building, unique for its time, was round and featured a domed skylight over the lobby measuring 36 feet in diameter. At the time, the bank had approximately $6 million in total assets.

In October of 1994, First National Bank opened a full service office on the corner of Highway 51 North and County Highway B. The bank had total assets of nearly $48 million when the Lake Kegonsa office opened.

Thanks to the continued growth of the Stoughton area, First National Bank’s assets grew to more than $100 million in 1999. To meet the needs of its growing clientele, the bank doubled the size of its Lake Kegonsa Office.

In 2001 we began the renovation of our Downtown Office in order to continue serving the needs of the Stoughton area for many years to come. We were able to maintain the unique style of the building's architectural integrity, while the functionality and accessibility for employees and customers was enhanced. The office features a new skylight, outside plaza and a newly improved, handicap accessible entrance. We are very proud of our presence in downtown Stoughton.

The renovation of the Downtown Office was completed in 2002 and First National Bank had over $181 million in total assets. We were honored that this renovation project was selected by The Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin as the winner of its Projects of Distinction Award for 2002. Each year an independent panel of judges reviews all the commerical construction projects in Wisconsin submitted by members of the ABC and selects the Projects of Distinction award winners. 

On December 30, 2004, First National Bank converted from a national bank charter to a state bank charter and changed its name to Evergreen State Bank.  As a Wisconsin state chartered bank, we have greater flexibility in adding new accounts and services – plus new offices. 

In 2006, the bank opened an office at 900 Windsor Street in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and, in 2007; we opened a new office at 2701 North Pontiac Drive in Janesville, Wisconsin.  Thanks to the continued support and encouragement of our Sun Prairie area customers, we are constructing a new office in that community on Highway 19 and Country Road C, which will open in April 2008.

As one of southern Wisconsin’s strongest and most stable financial institutions, we are well-positioned to continue providing our unique brand of community banking.