Title: American Red Cross. Neenah-Menasha Chapter (Wis.): American Red Cross Neenah-Menasha Chapter Records
Inclusive Dates: 1916-2006

Creator:

• American Red Cross. Neenah-Menasha Chapter (Wis.)

Call Number: Oshkosh Mss DH; PH Oshkosh Mss DH

Quantity: 9.6 cubic feet (1 records center carton, 1 archives box, and 14 flat boxes) and 1.8 cubic feet of photographs (3 flat boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the Archives & Area Research Center, Polk Library, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Oshkosh Polk Library / Oshkosh Area Research Ctr. (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of a group founded in 1917 to provide community disaster relief and services to soldiers and veterans. The records are comprised mainly of scrapbooks of newspaper clippings dated between 1916 and 2002. Also included are annual reports, minutes of meetings, daybooks, and photographs.

Note:

There is a restriction on access to this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-osh00dh

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The Red Cross began serving the cities and towns of the Neenah-Menasha area in April of 1917. Although the American National Red Cross originally envisioned a single Neenah-Menasha chapter, with Neenah and Menasha residents splitting the committee and official positions, separate charters were granted resulting in two individual chapters.

The Neenah and Menasha chapters began their work by aiding returning World War I soldiers and their families by providing medical care advice, filing compensation claims for back pay and travel pay, and even assistance in retrieving lost bags and overcoats. These local chapters continued to be contact points for information regarding veterans from the community. These Red Cross chapters also contributed to disaster relief aid, particularly during the Great Depression and a series of natural disasters including floods in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys during the mid-1930s. During World War II, chapter members and volunteers provided assistance to military service members and their families, sewed surgical dressings, organized nurses' aid classes, and served abroad.

The two chapters existed separately from 1917 to 1969, and while the communities served were closely connected geographically, socially, and economically, there seemed to be little interest in merging the two chapters, until the mid-1960s. By the early 1960s, the two chapters had begun working jointly on a number of programs including Joint First Aid and Home Nursing programs; both chapters (along with the Oshkosh, Fond Du Lac, Green Bay, and Sheboygan chapters) sent members to the Inter-chapter Home Service meetings; they coordinated on Disaster Preparedness programs (together with the Appleton and Oshkosh chapters); members of the Service to Military Families committees from Neenah and Menasha chapters met regularly to discuss mutual problems; chapter members jointly staffed and operated the 24 Hour Emergency Service. In early 1965, recognizing the "social and economic unity" of the Neenah-Menasha area, initial steps were taken to investigate a merger.

In 1969, after a four year negotiation process, the Neenah and Menasha chapters finally merged into the Twin Cities Chapter of the American National Red Cross with John E. Westgor as the first chapter chairman. In 1970, the chapter partnered with the Neenah-Menasha United Way (Community Chest at the time) in order to more fully fund and expand services such as the blood bank, first aid programs, disaster preparedness programs, water safety programs, nursing services, and Red Cross Youth.

In July of 2010, the then-named Neenah-Menasha Chapter merged with the East Central Wisconsin Chapter headquartered in Oshkosh. This placed all of Winnebago County under one chapter.

The records of the Neenah-Menasha Chapter of the Red Cross are divided into three series: SCRAPBOOKS, ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, and PHOTOGRAPHS.

Series one contains scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and correspondence, primarily concerning local subjects with some information regarding national Red Cross activities. The vast majority of the clippings are contained within a series of thirty scrapbooks spanning 1917 to 2002. Noticeably absent are any clippings from the 1930s. The scrapbooks are organized in chronological order and often have articles which cross-reference. The scrapbooks also contain letters and postcards written to this chapter during World War II which are in very good condition.

Series two contains administrative records including eight volumes of minutes from meetings spanning from 1917 to 1986; various audit/financial reports as well; ten Day Books (mainly concerning assistance to World War I veterans) covering 1917-1921, 1924-1926; the annual reports for the Neenah Chapter (1943-1968), the Menasha Chapter (1960-1968), and the Twin Cities/Neenah-Menasha Chapter (1968-1980, 1987-2001) which summarize the main goals, benchmarks, and progress of both the chapter as a whole and of each program (blood bank, veterans service, etc.) individually. Of note is a single folder containing Red Cross criticisms (1943-1979).

Series three (PH Oshkosh Mss DH) contains three photo albums of prints and one folder containing 413 photographs, 21 negatives, and 13 slides spanning 1962 to 2005. The photos appear to be primarily Neenah-Menasha Red Cross members engaged in a variety of programs and other social activities. With the exception of volume three, the majority of photographs are not labeled.

Acquisition Information

Presented by American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin via Steve Hansen, 2012. Accession Number: M2014-136

Access Restrictions

COLLECTION STORED AT ARC: Collection can be requested for transfer through the Area Research Center (ARC) Network; consult Reading Room Staff.

Oshkosh Mss DH	Series: Scrapbooks
	Clippings
Box   1 Folder   1	World War I (WWI) and Red Cross, 1916-1918
Box   1 Folder   2	1939-1943
Box   2 Folder   3	1942
Box   2 Folder   4	World War II (WWII) and Red Cross, 1942-1943
Box   2 Folder   5	WWII correspondence, 1942-1943
Box   3 Folder   6	1926, 1943-1944
Box   3 Folder   7	1948-1953
Box   3 Folder   8	1953-1960
Box   3 Folder   9	1956-1960
Box   4 Folder   10	1959-1961
Box   4 Folder   11	1960-1962
Box   5 Folder   12	1961-1963
Box   5 Folder   13	Correspondence, 1961-1963, 1979
Box   6 Folder   14	1963-1965
Box   6 Folder   15	1965-1967
Box   7 Folder   16	1965-1969
Box   7 Folder   17	1968-1969
Box   8 Folder   18	1969-1973
Box   8 Folder   19	Airplane crash and Neenah-Menasha Red Cross, 1972
Box   9 Folder   20	1974-1976
Box   9 Folder   21	1976-1978
Box   10 Folder   22	Youth Program, 1976-1979
Box   10 Folder   23	1978-1980
Box   10 Folder   24	Correspondence, 1980-1981
Box   11 Folder   25	1981-1984
Box   11 Folder   26	1984-1987
Box   12 Folder   27	1988-1990
Box   12 Folder   28	1990-1994
Box   13 Folder   29	1995-2002
Box   14 Folder   30	2002
	Series: Administrative Records	⇧
Box   14 Folder   1	Chapter charters, 1917, 1969, 1984
	Minutes
Box   15 Folder   1-2	1917-1935
Box   15 Folder   3	Reports, Neenah Chapter, 1916-1922
	Correspondence
Box   15 Folder   4	1932-1941
Box   15 Folder   5	Neenah Chapter, 1935-1947
Box   15 Folder   6	1940-1952
Box   15 Folder   7	Marketing, 1944-1992
Box   15 Folder   8	1974-1986
	Audit reports
Box   15 Folder   9	Correspondence, Menasha Chapter, 1928-1966
Box   15 Folder   10	Correspondence, Neenah Chapter, 1943-1949
Box   15 Folder   11	Neenah/Menasha Chapter, 1960-1974
	Annual reports
Box   15 Folder   12	Neenah Chapter, 1943-1961
Box   15 Folder   13	Menasha Chapter, 1960-1968
Box   15 Folder   14	Neenah Chapter, 1961-1968
	Neenah/Menasha Chapter
Box   15 Folder   15	1968-1971
Box   15 Folder   16	1972-1980
Box   15 Folder   17	1987-2001
	Day books
Box   15 Folder   18-25	1917-1925
Box   16 Folder   1-2	1924-1926
Box   16 Folder   3	Red Cross criticisms, collected, 1943-1979
Oshkosh PH Mss DH	Series: Photographs	⇧
	Albums
Box   1 Volume   1	1996
Box   2 Volume   2	1981-1992
Box   3 Volume   3	Professional photographs, undated
Box   2 Folder   1	Photographs, 1962-2005, , undated