Philetus and Melvina Hadley Sawyer immigrated to Wisconsin from Crown Point, New York in 1847 when Edgar was 5 years old. They settled near Fond du Lac, where Philetus had purchased a homestead. Philetus was not successful at farming and moved to Oshkosh two years later to operate a small sawmill.

Philetus proved up to the task and soon began making substantial earnings, which he then invested in the fast-growing lumber industry and in railroads. Philetus enjoyed public life and served as both a Congressman and U.S. Senator.

At age 21, Edgar joined his father’s business as a partner. He married Mary Eleanor Jewell in Oshkosh in 1864, uniting two prominent Oshkosh families. They had two children, Philetus II and Maria Melvina, who went by the name of “Nia.” Philetus II, known popularly as “Phil,” married Caroline Upham in 1896. Nia married Charles Chase in 1886. Edgar was described as a plain, matter-of-fact man. He loved literature, travel, and his favorite saddle horse, “Silver.” He owned several fine boats, Pierce Arrow automobile, and enjoyed leisure time boating on the lakes.

(Image to the right: Nia Sawyer wore this dress to the inaugural ball of President Ulysses S. Grant in 1869.)

Edgar became a successful banker and businessman, diversifying his investments. He had an amazing ability to recognize investment opportunities and well-timed expansions. He also excelled at coordinating seemingly diversified interests. Unlike his father, Edgar did not enjoy the public spotlight. He made many philanthropic gifts to the people of Oshkosh without any fanfare. The Sawyers were well liked and respected.

Edgar and Mary lived in a fine Second Empire style home on Algoma Boulevard, located on the site of the current Sawyer home. At that time, Algoma Boulevard was called “The Gold Coast” due to the number of prominent, well-off families who lived there. Edgar and Mary had their Second Empire house demolished to make room for a grand and modern new house, which they contracted for in 1907.

As an aside, Philetus and Melvina also lived on Algoma Boulevard just across Congress Avenue from Edgar and Mary. Their home stood where the Spanish-American War statue is now located on the northwest corner of Congress Avenue and Algoma Boulevard, which is located just north of the museum. This house had been sold to the Paine Lumber Co. and was torn down in March 1936.

Edgar and Mary’s house, now part of the museum, was designed by well-known Oshkosh architect William Waters and was built by C.R. Meyer Co., also of Oshkosh. The Sawyers contracted with the prestigious New York firm of Louis C. Tiffany to design and furnish the interiors, which embodied much of the tastes and attitudes of what is now called the “Edwardian Era” (1901-1914), named after England’s King Edward VII. One of the most recognizable and beautiful Tiffany features of the home is the iridescent stained glass windows on the landing.

The local newspaper, Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, described the home as “probably the finest of the kind in this section of the State.” Waters designed the home in a style reported as “Gothic and Old English.” Built of Indiana brown brick and Bedford limestone, it has a slate roof. The Sawyer’s home, which is approximately 17,600 square feet, incorporated some of the finest mechanical features of the Edwardian Era. Included was an elevator that serviced all four floors, and both gas and electrical service. The electrical lines were installed in flexible conduit, which was seldom used in America. Visitors can see an example of the home’s early electrical and gas service as they walk though the first floor. The home had a modern coal-fired boiler that brought hot water heat to all four floors, a billiard room and bowling alley in the basement, a ballroom on the third floor, and many other state-of-the-art conveniences. The original Sawyer estate encompassed almost the entire block.

The Sawyer’s carriage house is on the museum grounds, the large brick structure next to the museum. Originally a garage and stable, today the building is the museum’s main work and storage area. Half of the upper floor was used as living quarters for servants, and the rest of the building was used as horse stables, grain and straw storage, and as a garage for his Pierce Arrow automobile. The carriage house was renovated in 1999/2000.

The family moved into their new home in 1909. Sadly, Mary passed away from heart failure the following year. After Mary’s death, Edgar spent more and more time at their summer home on the shores of nearby Lake Butte des Morts, called Waldwic, and at a home in Florida. Edgar maintained his Algoma Boulevard residence with a full staff of servants even though he seldom lived in the home. He donated the residence to the City of Oshkosh in 1922 and the City formally accepted the donation in 1924. In November of that same year it became the museum, known first as the “Sawyer Foundation” and then as the “Oshkosh Public Museum” in 1929. Edgar died in Florida in 1927.