Title: John P. Otis Church Histories Collection
Inclusive Dates: 1967-2002

Creator:

• Otis, John P.

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 8

Quantity: 18.6 cubic ft. (23 boxes and 20 photograph albums)
Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

The collection consists of John P. Otis's photographs, slides, and compiled histories of about 5,000 Wisconsin churches and a few synagogues, acquired over a twenty-year period. Most photographs are 3" x 3" color exterior images of the buildings, housed in twenty albums. The photographs are indexed by "history" cards, arranged by locality. The collection includes four boxes of negatives, in no apparent order; and seventy-two maps showing the routes Otis traveled and the location of many of the churches he photographed.

Otis compiled the history of the churches through a standard form which requested the year the church was founded, the first pastor, and denomination or sect. A number of the respondents provided additional historical information. The forms are maintained in files, arranged by locality and/or county, which also contain histories of the churches, and newsclippings. The collection includes Otis' correspondence (1968-1979) concerning the acquisition of materials; the development of the project; miscellaneous faith and denomination histories; newsclippings; solicitation of funds; and efforts to donate the collection.

The collection also includes a videocassette of news reports and a TV Workshop featuring John Otis.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0008

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John Otis had a lifetime interest in geography and, and in 1963, began purchasing maps of Wisconsin's counties. In 1967, underwent a hernia operation, and as part of his therapy, he rode city buses. Otis became interested in the church steeples he saw along the routes, and began photographing them. His coverage quickly expanded beyond the city of Milwaukee, and he began collecting church histories in 1969. Mr. Otis died in 2002 at age 89.

The collection consists of John P. Otis's photographs, slides, and compiled histories of about 5,000 Wisconsin churches and a few synagogues. Most photographs are 3" x 3" color exterior images of the buildings, housed in twenty albums. The photographs are indexed by "history" cards, arranged alphabetically by locality, providing county, faith, album and page number, the year the congregation was founded, date the current building was erected, date a previous building was razed, a brief history, and notes.

An index of "sent" cards appears to be an earlier version of the "history" cards. A sampling of the "sent" cards found that all the information was transcribed onto the "history" cards.

Otis compiled the history of the churches through a standard form which requested the year the church was founded, the first pastor, and denomination or sect. A number of the respondents provided additional historical information. The forms are maintained in files, arranged alphabetically by locality and/or county, which also contain histories of the churches, and newsclippings. The "history" and "sent" cards note if a form or other materials are in the files.

The collection includes Otis' correspondence (1968-1979) concerning the acquisition of materials; the development of the project; miscellaneous faith and denomination histories; newsclippings; solicitation of funds; and efforts to donate the collection.

Otis recorded his travel routes and the locations of many of the photographed churches on seventy-two maps, which are arranged alphabetically by county.

The collection includes four boxes of negatives, in no apparent order, but the envelopes provide the names of the enclosed churches.

Information on church locations by county, mailing lists, and miscellaneous notes are also included in the collection.

The slide collection, includes interiors and exteriors of Wisconsin churches and synagogues, as well as images of church grounds and the surrounding area, and festivals. Also included are slides of St. Francis Seminary. A guide to the slide collection provides identifying information.

A videocassette contains local news reports and a TV Workshop (1991) featuring John Otis.

Box 21 contains additional materials not yet fully integrated into the collection.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• John P. Otis Photographs. UWM Manuscript Collection 160.

Published histories were removed from the collection in June 1996 for cataloging.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

John P. Otis donated the collection to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library in November 1977. He donated a slide collection and a video in 1998 (accession 1998-027).

Processing Information

The index cards, historical files, and miscellaneous materials originally housed in two file cabinets were boxed in November 1997.Christel Maass added the 1998 accession (1998-027) to the collection in June 2001.

Box   21	Additions
Box   14-15	Church Locatioins by County, Notes
Box   1 Folder   1-9	Correspondence, 1968-1976
Box   2 Folder   1-2	Correspondence, 1977-1979
Box   2 Folder   3	Faith and Denomination Histories
Box   2 Folder   4	Grants and Publications, 1971-1976
	Historical Files
Box   10	Abbotsford-Forest Township
Box   11	Fort Atkinson-Milton
Box   12	Milwaukee-Quincy Township
Box   13	Racine-Zittau
Box   16-17	"History" Cards, A-Z
Box   19-20	Mailing Lists, A-Z (two lists), Miscellaneous Cards and Notes
Box   3	Maps of Counties: Adams
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Ashland
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Barron
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Bayfield
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Brown
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Buffalo
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Burnett
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Calumet
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Chippewa
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Clark
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Columbia
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Crawford
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Dane
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Dodge
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Door
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Douglas
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Dunn
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Eau Claire
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Florence
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Fond du Lac
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Forest
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Grant
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Green
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Green Lake
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Iowa
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Iron
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Jackson
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Jefferson
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Juneau
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Kenosha
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Kewaukee
Box   3	Maps of Counties, La Crosse
Box   3	Maps of Counties, LaFayette
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Langlade
Box   3	Maps of Counties, Lincoln
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Manitowoc
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Marathon
Box   5	Maps of Counties, Marinette
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Marquette
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Menomonee
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Milwaukee
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Monroe
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Oconto
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Oneida
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Outagamie
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Ozaukee
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Pepin
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Pierce
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Polk
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Portage
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Price
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Racine
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Richland
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Rock
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Rusk
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Sauk
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Sawyer
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Shawano
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Sheboygan
Box   4	Maps of Counties, St. Croix
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Trempealeau
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Vernon
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Vilas
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Walworth
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Washburn
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Washington
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Waukesha
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Waupaca
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Waushara
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Winnebago
Box   4	Maps of Counties, Wood
Box   6-9	Negatives
Box   21	News Reports and a TV Workshop, 1991 Physical Description: Videocasette (VHS)
Box   2 Folder   5	Newsclippings and Writings about the Collection, 1971-1978
Volume   1-2	Photograph Album, D-E, Milwaukee
Volume   3	Photograph Album, F, Washington, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan
Volume   4	Photograph Album, G, Milwaukee, Bahai Temple - Wilmetter; Chicago, Jewish-Chinese-Catholic
Volume   5	Photograph Album, H, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Walworth
Volume   6	Photograph Album, J, Racine, Kenosha, Milwaukee
Volume   7	Photograph Album, K, Milwaukee, Dodge, Waukesha, Rock
Volume   8	Photograph Album, L, Dane, Jefferson
Volume   9	Photograph Album, M, Green, La Fayette, Grant, Sauk
Volume   10	Photograph Album, N, Iowa, Columbia, Door, Kewaukee, Marquette, Green Lake, Menomonee
Volume   11	Photograph Album, O, Brown, Marquette, Oconto, Florence
Volume   12	Photograph Album, P, Manitowoc, Calumet, Shawano, Outagamie
Volume   13	Photograph Album, Q, Winnebago, Langlade, Washara, Waupaca, Forest
Volume   14	Photograph Album, R, Marathon, Adams, Portage, Wood
Volume   15	Photograph Album, S, La Crosse, Clark, Vernon, Monroe
Volume   16	Photograph Album, T, Crawford, Richland, Jackson, Juneau, Chippewa, Pierce
Volume   17	Photograph Album, U, Sawyer, Burnett, Polk, Washburn, Saint Croix
Volume   18	Photograph Album, V, Taylor, Rush, Iron, Lincoln, Douglas, Oneida, Ashland
Volume   19	Photograph Album, W, Price, Dunn, Baron, Bayfield, Vilas
Volume   20	Photograph Album, X, Buffalo, Eau Claire, Pepin, Tremeleau
Box   17-18	"Sent" Cards, A-Z
Box   22 Folder   2-11 Tray   79-88	Slide Collection
Box   23 Folder   1-3 Tray   89-91	Slide Collection
Box   22 Folder   1	Slide Collection of the Churches of Wisconsin, Tray/Slide Guide
Box   23 Folder   4	Slide Collection, St. Francis Seminary and Woods