The Oshkosh Public Museum is museum located in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh.
History
Oshkosh was ...
, United States. It is housed in the Edgar and Mary Jewell Sawyer House, which is part of the Algoma Boulevard Historic District, and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
History
Edgar Sawyer, a lumber baron, built the house in 1908. The current mansion is built on the site of the Sawyer's previous home. The original home was demolished in 1907 to make way for a more grand and modern mansion.
The Sawyers only lived in the new house for about a year before Mary died of heart failure. Edgar kept the residence open for 12 years, but did not live there permanently.
The house was donated to the City of Oshkosh in 1922, and opened as a museum in 1924. Many items on display were destroyed in a third floor fire on June 2, 1994.
Attractions
The museum's featured attraction is a folk art clock called the Apostle's Clock.
[Oshkosh Public Museum]
Retrieved February 18, 2008 At the top of each hour, music from a Regina music box starts a procession of hand carved
Apostles figurines that circle and bow to a figurine of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
.
Oshkosh Public Museum
Retrieved February 18, 2008 The final apostle, Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...
, is carrying a bag, and he turns away from Jesus.
The interior of the building was designed by Tiffany Studios
Tiffany may refer to:
People
* Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name
* Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname
Known mononymously as "Tiffany":
* Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress know ...
. There are several stained glass windows and an ornate carved staircase. Rooms display art and contain information and artifacts about Oshkosh and the Lake Winnebago
Lake Winnebago ( mez, Wenepekōw Nepēhsæh, oj, Wiinibiigoo-zaaga'igan, one, kanyataláheleˀ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin. At 137,700 acres it is the largest lake entir ...
region.
The museum also documents the arrival of immigrants from Eastern Europe into the region. A section entitled "Memories & Dreams" describes the 1830s until 1920s and includes a 1913 Harley Davidson Harley may refer to:
People
* Harley (given name)
* Harley (surname)
Places
* Harley, Ontario, a township in Canada
* Harley, Brant County, Ontario, Canada
* Harley, Shropshire, England
* Harley, South Yorkshire, England
* Harley Street, in Lo ...
motorcycle. In a room called "Grandma's Attic" visitors can interact with historic items. A model shows the city and its lumber yards in the 1800s.
Images
Image:ApostlesClockOshkoshPublicMuseum.jpg, Apostles Clock
Image:OshkoshPublicMuseumRHPSign.jpg, Registered Historic Place sign
Further reading
Public museum rises from the ashes
Jeff Potts; Oshkosh Northwestern
The ''Oshkosh Northwestern'' is a daily newspaper based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The ''Northwestern'' was owned by the Schwalm and Heaney families until 1998, when it was sold to Ogden Newspapers; Ogden traded the paper to Thomson Newspapers two ...
References
External links
Oshkosh Public Museum website
{{authority control
Historic house museums in Wisconsin
History museums in Wisconsin
Houses completed in 1908
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin
Museums in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Natural history museums in Wisconsin
Historic district contributing properties in Wisconsin
Houses in Winnebago County, Wisconsin
National Register of Historic Places in Winnebago County, Wisconsin
1924 establishments in Wisconsin