Property Record
Oakridge Road & US 41
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Oak Hill Cemetery Mortuary Chapel |
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| Other Name: | Oak Hiill Cemetery Mortuary Chapel |
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| Reference Number: | 131959 |
| Location (Address): | Oakridge Road & US 41 |
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| County: | Winnebago |
| City: | Neenah |
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| Year Built: | 1924 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 2004 |
| Historic Use: | church |
| Architectural Style: | English Revival Styles |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
| Architect: | Eschweiler & Eschweiler |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Oak Hill Cemetery is located at the northwest intersection of Oakridge Road and US 41. it has been maintained by the City of Neenah since 1848 and is reportedly the second oldest municipal cemetery in the United States. Three significant stone buildings are located within the boundaries of the cemetery, all of which were designed by the Milwaukee firm of Eschweiler & Eschweiler. The mortuary Chapel, a Tudor Revival style structure, was designed in 1924 and is built of Eden stone of the Fox River Valley. It was built by Mr. E.H. Bergstom as a gift to the city. Adjacent and to the west is the Recieving Vault, which was also built in 1924. Finally, the Service Building, also a Tudor Revival design, was erected in 1927. In addition to the Eschweiler&Eschweiler designed buildings, the cemetery is filled with large, beautifully designed mausoleums that were built for Neenah's most notable citizens. At least lone of them (the Eli Defnet Mausoleum) was designed by architect Edward A. Wettengel. The chapel was a gift of M/M Harry Babcock. The Mortuary Chapel was built by D.W. Bergstrom not E. H. Bergstrom. D.W. Bergstrom donated the chapel building. The Mortuary Vault building (built shortly after in 1924 was donated by Mr. and Mrs. H. K. Babcock and Misses Helen and Elizabeth Babcock. According to staff at the Neenah Historical Society: "There is an article from the Appleton Post Crescent from Dec 1, 1924 "Two Memorials in Cemetery are Almost Finished" which has inaccurate information in it which looks like the same one from the Menasha Record. Here the donators were switched saying the chapel came from the Babcocks and vault came from Bergstrom. However, the city records show the opposite and we believe those would be most accurate." While Eli Defnet was from Neenah, he is not buried there according to the Oak Hill Cemetery online records. I took a look at find a grave - there is a photo of his mausoleum at the Riverside Cemetery in Appleton. Eli's obituary from 1928 from the Menasha Record doesn't indicate where he was buried (May 10 front page). There may be a mausoleum at the cemetery that was designed by Edward Wettengel. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Richard S. Davis, Eschweiler and Eschweiler: 50 Years of Architecture (Milwaukee, WI: privately published, 1934), n.p.; Eschweiler & Eschweiler, "Neenah Cemetery-Mortuary Chapel," Original plans, no date; Eschweiler & Eschweiler, "Oak Hill Cemetery-Service Building," Original plans, 28 June 1927; Edward A. Wettengel, "Eli Defnet Mausoleum," Original plans, no date, All three plans on file at the WAA. "New Buildings at Oakhill Cemetery," Menasha Record, 5 September 1924, 1/4. City of Neenah Resolution as printed in the Neenah NewsTimes Newspaper April 14, 1924 Page 6 (Approved by the City of Neenah March 18, 1924). Also "Beautiful Buildings at Cemetery Opened" from Neenah News Times December 30, 1924. Both were accessed through newspapers.com July 8, 2021. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206163701/eli-defnet |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |