Olcott (campus)

Aerial view of campus in 1940s. Image from TSA Archives.

Olcott is the headquarters estate of the Theosophical Society in America, located in Wheaton, Illinois. It comprises about 41 acres (16.6 hectares) of land, with offices and library in the L. W. Rogers Building; the Quest Bookshop and the Theosophical Publishing House in the Joy Mills Building; warehouse, garages, and maintenance buildings; and houses occupied by employees.

These are general tours of the campus and its history,

• The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour, a video recording.
• Olcott in Wheaton, an e-book published in May 2012 by Theosophy Forward Electronic Editions.
• The Olcott Campus by Susan Ohlhaber

Purchase of original acreage

President L. W. Rogers of the American Theosophical Society, now known as the Theosophical Society in America, initiated a search for a permanent headquarters location. The Society had outgrown its Chicago building. Mr. Rogers sought a new site that was centrally located - that is, within 500 miles of Chicago; near excellent rail transportation; with inexpensive land available in an attractive rural setting. The search was well publicized. Society members wrote to propose locations, and local officials from across the Midwest offered sites. National Secretary Kay Campbell found land in Wheaton that fulfilled all the requirements, and early in 1925 the Society purchased almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland on North Main Street. The original acreage is shown in the aerial photograph above.

No mortgage was ever necessary to purchase land or finance construction. L. W. Rogers and his successor Sidney A. Cook worked out a plan for members to lend money in exchange for interest-bearing bonds, even through the difficult years of the Great Depression. Many of the paid-off bonds were burned in a joyful ceremony at the 1938 summer convention, and the final debt was eliminated in 1944.

Over the years, many Society members bought parcels of land adjoining the estate, and donated them to expand the headquarters estate to its current dimensions.

Landscaping in 1920s and 1930s

When purchased, the land was plowed a farm field. The first priority of members was to establish a grove of trees, so on May 8, 1925, Kay Campbell and several others planted the first tree, a silver linden. within a few weeks, dozens of trees were planted. A small cabin was built for the caretaker, who started to work on a water feature to take advantage of the stream of water that ran across the middle of the acreage. Members nationwide donated money and plants to create a park-like atmosphere at their new headquarters, and followed progress monthly in The Messenger and The Theosophical Messenger.

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  Kay Campbell planting first tree at Olcott.

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  Grove and cottage on August 8, 1926, viewed from east.

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  Caretaker Mr. Gill with Farmall tractor on July 24, 1927.

L. W. Rogers Building

The L. W. Rogers Building was constructed in 1926-1927. From that time it has housed the Society's administrative offices, national library, and public programming.

Entrance arch by Claude Bragdon

Perkins Pond

Joy Mills Building

Joy Mills Building

Drumming at Youth Circle

Youth Circle

Labyrinth

Labyrinth

Garden of Remembrance