Property Record
1540 E MAIN ST, OAK HILL CEMETERY
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel |
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| Other Name: | Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel |
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| Reference Number: | 76977 |
| Location (Address): | 1540 E MAIN ST, OAK HILL CEMETERY |
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| County: | Jefferson |
| City: | Watertown |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1910 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 1986 |
| Historic Use: | cemetery building/monument |
| Architectural Style: | Other Vernacular |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Pointed arched door and windows. Building was constructed as a cemetery chapel. Mausoleum (62/17) also on site - separate record. The Oak Hill Cemetery began on May 14, 1850, when a group of pioneers met to form a community cemetery association in Watertown. Prominent pioneers such as John Richards, Luther Cole, Linus R. Cady, and Heber Smith were involved with the founding of the cemetery. The name of the cemetery came from the first location, on West Main St, north of St. Bernard's Catholic cemetery. The land there was filled with oak trees, but unfortunately, was also low and damp and after 15 years it proved to be unsuitable for further development as a cemetery. In 1865, the association decided to buy 13 acres at the end of E. Main St. The land here was elevated and had good drainage and the cemetery has remained there ever since, adding 14 more acres in the nineteenth century alone. Some of Watertown's most prominent citizens have been associated with the Oak Hill Cemetery and in the 1910s a chapel was erected on the grounds. As the main community cemetery in Watertown, Oak Hill is part of the public landscape in the city and has been since 1865. The Oak Hill Cemetery is historically interesting because it is Watertown's community cemetery, founded by pioneers for the good of the community. |
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| Bibliographic References: | (A) Carl E. Emmerling, "You Ought to be Glad You Are Living in Watertown, the Big Town of Jefferson and Dodge Counties," Published serially in the Watertown Daily Times, August, 1921. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |