Built in 1882. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
One of 85 National Register listings published here for Winnebago County · listed in 1979 · category: Building · built in 1882, by William Waters.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article
The chapter on Oshkosh City in History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and Early History of the Northwest, published 1880 names Oshkosh. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.
Among the manufactures of the city which have started into new life, with enlarged proportions, since the fire, are the new Soap Works of J. R. Loper. Mr. Loper has been burnt out three times, meeting with heavy losses, and has built up larger than ever, and furnishes another instance of Oshkosh enterprise and business vigor.
Passage source: History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and Early History of the Northwest, published 1880.
Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.
Read the whole chapter on Oshkosh City - 856 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 22 fires within 5 miles of Oviatt House between 1994 and 2020, burning about 410 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 205308 |
| 17 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 205595 |
| 10 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 284 |
| 7 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 184525 |
| 26 July 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 185073 |
| 12 July 2018 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 184656 |
| 25 June 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 204206 |
| 24 June 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 89 |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Oviatt House: 4 unknowns, 3 producers, 1 past producer. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Last Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Newell Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Eureka Quarry | Stone | Unknown | ||
| Grundy Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Own Crews | Stone | Unknown | ||
| Own Crews | Stone | Unknown | ||
| Sheppard Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Vulcan Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oshkosh, the town this property stands in, in 88 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 39 thunderstorm wind, 28 hail, 5 funnel cloud, 4 tornado. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | 1 killed, $150,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Oshkosh | $18,600,000 | Heavy rainfall, totaling 5.41 inches for the day, over already saturated ground caused widespread flash flooding in the Oshkosh area. Sewage backed up into many basements and the foundations of some homes on the south side of the city crumbled, making them uninhabitable. The flooding destroyed 20 homes, caused major damage to 150, and caused minor damage to over 400 others. Several schools sustained damage, including Lourdes High School and the attached St. John Neumann Middle School, which had extensive water and sewage damage. Water built up in the parking lot and caved in windows on the school's lower level. Flood waters rose over five feet, destroying classrooms, athletic equipment, carpets and computers. Damage to the schools was well over $1 million. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus also sustained some water damage. High water made 50 to 75 percent of the streets impassible, including parts of U.S. Highways 41 and 45. It also washed out a railroad bridge causing a train to derail and spill diesel fuel into the floodwaters. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Oshkosh | $625,000 | Thunderstorms with rainfall rates of 1 to in excess of 2 inches per hour moved across Oshkosh early during the evening. The combination of heavy rain and ground that was saturated from rain that fell earlier in the day resulted in damage to about 100 homes and 5 businesses in Oshkosh. Most of the damage was due to basement flooding and ponding of water around building foundations. Many streets in the city were impassible due to nearly a foot of standing water. By the end of the day Oshkosh had a total of 4.13 inches of rain. |
| July 2012 | Hail | Oshkosh | $250,000 | Thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail as they passed through Oshkosh. Approximately 500 homes and two dozen vehicles sustained at least minor damage as a result of the large hail in east-central Winnebago County. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $200,000 | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $175,000 | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $25,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $20,000 | Thunderstorms produced large hail and wind gusts to 70 mph in Oshkosh. The gust caused a canopy to collapse at a car rental business, damaging five cars. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Flood | Oshkosh | $2,000 | Heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused flooding near Interstate 41 at 9th Avenue and at State Highway 26. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Lightning | Oshkosh | $1,000 | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees in Oshkosh. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees on the southwest part of Oshkosh. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Oshkosh | - | Rainfall of 2 to 4 inches in a short time caused flash flooding in the city of Oshkosh and just south of Neenah. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data. |
| September 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 60 mph at the Oshkosh airport. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and power lines throughout Oshkosh. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 68 mph in Oshkosh. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Quarter size hail fell on the north side of Oshkosh. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Quarter size hail fall near Oshkosh. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed a couple of branches and a tree in the Oshkosh area. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms produced an estimated wind gust of 60 mph as they moved through Oshkosh. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Oshkosh | - | Heavy rain caused minor street flooding in downtown Oshkosh. |
| April 2014 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | A thunderstorm produced penny size hail in Oshkosh. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms produced 1.16 inches of rain in 40 minutes on the northeast side of Oshkosh causing street flooding. The storm also dropped pea size hail. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | A spotter observed penny size hail on the southwest side of Oshkosh. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 60 mph that downed large tree limbs along 9th Avenue in Oshkosh. |
| September 2012 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Penny size hail fell in Oshkosh. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Quarter size hail fell in Oshkosh. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees and tree branches in Oshkosh. A power line was knocked down on Church Street. |
| September 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Oshkosh | - | A funnel cloud was seen and photographed by a storm spotter near Oshkosh. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorms winds downed trees throughout Oshkosh. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees at the corner of Tyler Avenue and Sawyer Street in Oshkosh. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Numerous large tree branches and several trees were blown down by winds from a severe thunderstorm. |
| July 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Oshkosh | - | A funnel cloud was spotted southeast of Oshkosh over Lake Winnebago. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Quarter size hail fell and heavy rain produced street flooding in Oshkosh. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Quarter to half dollar size hail fell at Oshkosh. |
| August 2008 | Funnel Cloud | Oshkosh | - | A funnel cloud was seen by the public over Oshkosh. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Hail up to penny size fell for 10 minutes and covered the ground at Oshkosh. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | High winds from thunderstorms downed large tree limbs and produced half inch hail at the intersection of New York Avenue and Broad Street. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Penny to nickel size hail fell in Oshkosh as thunderstorms moved through the city. |
| October 2006 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | A wind gust of 41 mph was also measured. |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | Isolated strong thunderstorms blew trees down in Manitowoc (Manitowoc County), with one of them falling onto a car. The powerful winds also felled trees and power lines in Oshkosh (Winnebago County). |
| May 1994 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | Isolated severe thunderstorms produced hail up to one inch in diameter over southern and east-central Wisconsin. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Oshkosh | - | no account filed |
No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.
Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oshkosh State Normal School Historic District | 0.1 miles | 1984 | |
 | William E. Pollock Residence | 0.1 miles | 1984 |
 | Thomas R. Wall Residence | 0.2 miles | 1984 |
| Read School | 0.3 miles | 1993 | |
 | Jessie Jack Hooper House | 0.3 miles | 1978 |
 | S. H. Waterman House | 0.3 miles | 1993 |
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 79000121 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Winnebago County | All 85 listed properties in this county. |
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