Jane E. Putnam Memorial Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jane E. Putnam Memorial Chapel
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| Location | Emery St. Eau Claire, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1908 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001663 |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 2000 |
The Jane E. Putnam Memorial Chapel is a beautiful old building in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It was built in 1908 in a style called Neogothic, which looks a bit like old castles or churches. This chapel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 because it's a very important building for its design.
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Who Were Jane and Henry Putnam?
Jane E. Balcolm was born in Oxford, New York in 1832. She moved to Eau Claire in 1857. A year later, in 1858, she married Henry C. Putnam. Henry had also moved from New York to Wisconsin in 1855. He worked as a government land surveyor. This meant he measured and mapped out land.
Henry also worked as a "timber cruiser." He would check out large areas of pine trees in the Chippewa Valley. He did this for himself and for other people who wanted to invest in land, like Cornell University. Henry became one of the most successful land agents in the area. He also worked as a clerk in Eau Claire's federal land office. He was on the board of directors for several lumber companies. He even helped start the Chippewa Valley Bank and the Eau Claire Linen Company.
Giving Back to the Community
Jane and Henry Putnam were very generous people in their community. They helped pay for the building of the First Presbyterian Church in 1857. Jane also started Eau Claire's first public library in 1875.
Before Jane passed away in 1907, she asked for a chapel to be built. She wanted it to be a place for the people of Eau Claire. It would be used for services. It would also hold the bodies of people who died in winter until the ground thawed. The year after Jane died, Henry bought some land in Forest Hill Cemetery. He then had the chapel built, just as Jane had wished.
What Does the Chapel Look Like?
The chapel is a one-story building with a very steep roof. It is built in the Neogothic style. Its walls are made of rough, natural stone. The doors and windows are tall and pointed at the top, like a lancet arch.
At the front entrance, there are two wooden doors. They are protected by fancy wrought-iron gates. The corners of the building have buttresses, which are strong supports. Each corner also has a pinnacle, which is a small, pointed tower. The roof is covered with red, curved barrel tiles. The ends of the roof, called gables, rise up a bit above the roofline. At the back of the chapel, there is a rectangular section. It has a sloped roof and looks a bit like the rounded end of a church.
Inside the Chapel
Inside the chapel, there is an aisle that runs down the middle. On the east wall of the main room, called the nave, there is a simple fireplace. Above you can see wooden beams and supports that hold up the roof.
Underneath the floor, on each side of the central aisle, are burial crypts. These are like small vaults. Seven members of the Putnam family are buried in the crypts on the west side. This includes Jane and Henry themselves.
How the Chapel Is Used Today
The section at the back of the chapel used to have 24 vaults. These were for temporarily storing bodies during the winter when the ground was frozen. However, these vaults are not used anymore.
Services are also no longer held in the chapel. Today, the Jane E. Putnam Memorial Chapel is mostly used for storage.
