Another Oshkosh Church

Some time ago I did a series of posts on William Waters' Oshkosh churches and I thought I'd covered all of them. That was not the case, for not long ago while perusing the photos on Oshkosh Past perfect, I saw a church which was unfamiliar to me. The image was identified as the Plymouth Congregational Church, located on the corner of Church and Franklin Streets. I studied the image carefully, surly it must have been designed by William Waters I thought.

 The building was a wooden frame structure and rather unusual with what appeared to be large bays on the side walls. The steeple featured fancy woodwork reminiscent of Stick Style and a roof very much like that of St. Joseph in Appleton. After a short time it occurred to me I'd seen a sketch of the church among the drawing in “Willie's Book” and I search it out. There it was, a front elevation and floor plan which explained the large bays on the side walls.

Further research of church histories reveled a contradiction as to when the building was constructed. All the accounts agree the original church was built 1856 but differ as to weather this church, its' replacement was put up in 1868 or in 1876. Mr. Waters was in Oshkosh by 1868 and this could have been a very early job. The drawing collected by the architects' son and affixed to a discarded magazine, "Willie's Book", date from the mid 1870's which makes the 1876 date likely.  I believe the 1876 date to be more accurate.  The small wooden church served until 1894 when it was replaced by a large red brick house of worship designed by prominent Minneapolis architect Warren Howard Hays.