Property Record
EMERY ST, FOREST HILL CEMETERY
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Jane E. Putnam Memorial Chapel |
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| Reference Number: | 41228 |
| Location (Address): | EMERY ST, FOREST HILL CEMETERY |
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| County: | Eau Claire |
| City: | Eau Claire |
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| Year Built: | 1908 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1997 |
| Historic Use: | cemetery building/monument |
| Architectural Style: | Late Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | Masonry |
| Wall Material: | Stone - Unspecified |
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| Demolished?: | No |
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| National/State Register Listing Name: | Putnam, Jane E., Memorial Chapel |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 7/1/2000 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 7/16/1999 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office. This small chapel, located at Forest Hill Cemetery, is constructed of rough cut stone. The building features a steep gable roof covered with barrel tiles and pointed arch openings. Above the main entrance is a three part bay and accenting the corners of the facade are stone piers topped with finials. It cost approximately $10,000 to construct. Jane E. Putnam, in whose memory this chapel was erected, was the wife of Henry C. Putnam (see Intensive Survey Final Report), a prominent Eau Claire citizen. The 1914 county history recorded that "the mortuary chapel in the Forest Hill Cemetery was built by her heirs at her request and dedicated to the use of her townsfolk." (B) The Putnam's donated Putnam Park and assisted in funding the First Presbyterian Church and the YMCA and founding the public library. 1997 survey update: Jane Putnam was the organizer of the first library in Eau Claire. Her life was spent concerned with the well-being of the citizens of Eau Claire. The last committal service was held in the chapel in 1960. The original leaded windows were restored in 1978. Seven members of the Putnam family are buried in vaults in the basement. The chapel is now being used for storage and there are no plans for the building in the future. There is however a fully intact interior. 2016- "The chapel was funded by a bequest from Jane E. Putnam, wife of Henry C. Putnam, for the people of Eau Claire, to be used for holding services and as a receiving vault for those who died during the winter. The chapel was constructed at a cost of approximately $10,000. The Putnams were civic-minding people who donated land, money and time to improve the community, including the donation of Putnam Park, assisting in the funding of the First Presbyterian Church and YMCA and founding the public library." -"Eau Claire Landmarks: Designated Historic Properties in Eau Claire, Wisconsin", Eau Claire Landmarks Commission, P.O. Box 5148, 2016. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Building inscription. (B) History of Eau Claire County, 1914, pp. 834-839. (C) Another map code for this building is EC 33/15 and its corresponding Survey map name is Plat Map #9. Eau Claire Landmarks booklet published by the Landmarks Commission in 2002. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |