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Collections Summary

The collections of WHS shall reflect the history of Wauwatosa from its beginnings to the present. This shall also include materials from Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin as they relate to Wauwatosa’s historical experience. Collections shall be for the benefit of present and future generations of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, and its visitors.

WHS NEWSLETTER 

Historic Wauwatosa is a rich resource. Because of its in-depth historical articles, it received the prestigious Reuben Gold Thwaites Award from the State Historical Society.

COMMUNITY HISTORIES

Published works are a good starting point for research. Most important are: Reminiscences of Early Wauwatosa by Emma Clapp Watner (1902); Sketches of Wauwatosa compiled by Elizabeth Foley (1932); The Wauwatosa Story (1961 & revisions), and Images of Wauwatosa (2004). Since Wauwatosa did not incorporate as a village until 1892, its early years were connected to the Town of Wauwatosa, which is chronicled in Memoirs of Milwaukee County by Jerome Watrous (1909), and From Trading Post to Metropolis: Milwaukee County’s First l00 Years (1985).

A complete list of books by title, author, subject, and publisher is available. Topics include: Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and the State, architecture and preservation, landmarks, and works by Wauwatosa authors.

City directories are a tool for finding people who lived here. They list the head of household alphabetically by surname, with their address and occupation. We have directories from 1892 to 1989, not-inclusive. Regular publication began in 1926. The 1932 book includes new street name and number changes. Directories also contain other city listings, such as businesses and churches. There are a few comparable county directories; we have 1926 and two 1940s books for the Town of Wauwatosa.

Many of our fine photos were in our book, Images of Wauwatosa. There are hundreds more available, including postcard images. Our photos are organized by subject categories such as: Businesses, The Village, Families, People, Churches, Schools, Agriculture, Clubs/Organizations, Health & Human Services, Recreation/Sports, and Government/Police/Library.

These are miscellaneous paper or book materials that are grouped together by subject matter. Following are abstracts of some of these:

     - Files by a person’s name or family name (example: Harts and the Swan family).

     - Clippings of obituaries/death notices/articles on people.

A detailed list is available with titles, and publishers. At present most are non-local and span the decades to the 1960s.

General information on Wauwatosa and Milwaukee County cemeteries.

Wauwatosa churches by name (not sacramental records); may include anniversary booklets.

     - Street address (example: homes by numbered and named streets).

     - Districts/neighborhoods/subdivisions (example: Chestnut Street and Wellauer Park).

     - Building reference (example: architecture and preservation).

This group has a detailed listing for maps that include pre-1900 Tosa; post-1900 Tosa; Milwaukee County, and Wisconsin. Maps are very helpful to track the growth of a community and locate streets and changes in their names. We have the 1876 historical atlas (plat map book) of Milwaukee County.

WHS holds bound copies of the Wauwatosa News (beginning with 1900) and the Wauwatosa News-Times through 1994; loose copies thereafter. WHS has the ONLY index to this paper, from 1900 through 1917. This index is computerized and can be searched by personal or corporate name for a print-out of the entry.

Magazines on the history of Wauwatosa, Milwaukee, the County and the State and on house restoration, preservation, architecture, and Victorian interiors. (See Historic Wauwatosa May 2005 for a detailed list.)

These files are by school name and contain varied materials. These are not official school records.

We also have school newspapers, including the Cardinal News and the Hawthorne Echo.

SCHOOL REUNIONS COLLECTION

Beginning with the class of 1927, these files reflect activities of Wauwatosa class reunions.

Among a list of these files are: the City Seal, city telephone directories, ordinances, city planning materials, the Village, Police Department, l00th Anniversary, the Library, and annual bulletins and city newsletters.

A variety of items are found in this grouping, including student publications and commencement items.

 - These are primarily from Wauwatosa High School, Wauwatosa East High School, and Wauwatosa West High School, along with Wauwatosa Junior High School and Whitman Junior High/Middle School. There is a list of all years available.

     - We hold three yearbooks from the Milwaukee County School of Nursing from 1970-1972.

Some smaller files have material by these subjects: The Great Depression, Political, Receipts, Senior Citizens, Tourism, Scrapbooks, Videocassettes, Compact Discs, Audiocassettes, and Film.

What is a manuscript? This can be the personal papers of an individual, including correspondence, school report cards, playbills, receipts, and memorabilia. It can be the official records of a business, institution, or organization, including incorporation, minutes, financial material, and correspondence. The name reflects the creator of the material. These collections may also include photographs, books, maps, and artifacts. Below are abstracts from a variety of manuscripts that we hold; there are over a hundred additional smaller files. These primary materials offer a wealth of historic information, much of which is not found elsewhere.

These are the official, bound volumes that chronicle the activities of the Wauwatosa common council, beginning with a handwritten ledger dated May 3, 1898 and continuing, with later typed pages, through January 21, 1958.

BROUWER’S RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. (1926-1960s)

Paper and artifact items from the life of Stephen J. Brouwer, who developed shoe lasts. He lectured extensively and utilized X-Ray machines in his local shoe stores to ensure the proper fit.

M & I WAUWATOSA STATE BANK (1920-1989)

Business papers and photographs from this local bank founded in 1920, which was purchased by M & I. Of particular note are aerial photographs of the village area and North and Wauwatosa Avenues when the bank moved in the 1970s.

RAVENSWOOD GARDEN CLUB (1939-1999)

Materials from this garden group that includes their constitution and by-laws, activities, scrapbooks, minutes, and a history of the club.

WASHINGTON HOMES ASSOCIATION (1923-1997)

These are the records of the association that formed in 1919 to oversee the Washington Highlands neighborhood, to which all homeowners belong. Among the papers are minutes, property change correspondence, assessment files, employee files, financial statements, and a group of miscellaneous drawings for improvements on homes, all listed by address or lot and block number. There is a detailed finding aid to this material to help researchers.

BUESING, WARREN (1963-1978)

Papers of a Wauwatosa School Board member, who also chaired the Wauwatosa School Board’s Citizen Committee. Files on individual schools are found, a well as reports related to subjects such as pupil population and building facility studies.

WAUWATOSA COUNCIL OF PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS (1944-1981)

Activities of this group are represented in a council history, scrapbooks with photographs and clippings, and yearbooks for the participating Wauwatosa public schools.

   - WHS has additional collections on Hawthorne and Longfellow Junior High P.T. A. organizations.

WAUWATOSA FIRE DEPARTMENT  

Until recently, WHS only had a group of department annual reports. The Fire Department, however, recently donated a large body of material, which is unprocessed, that includes many photographs and material recording department activities.

This manuscript includes the complete set of yearbooks of the club from 1946-1982 and scrapbooks of activities from 1945-1988, with a few missing years.

WAUWATOSA VOCATIONAL HOMEMAKER’ CLUB (1940-2001)

These are the records of this club that disbanded in 2001, including information on Tosa students who received their scholarships.

WEBSTER SCHOOL 

This school was formerly Washington School. We hold school registers, P.T.A. notebooks, photographs, and other related material.

WORK PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION: WRITERS’ PROGRAM (1938)

This is a unique body of material created by writers of the WPA toward the goal of compiling a Wauwatosa Guide Book. It was never put into final form. There is a complete index of articles by topic, such as Early Settlement, Geology, Indians, Pioneers, Transportation, Sports, Wauwatosa Clubs & Organizations, and many more. 

The writers also compiled biographies of local people and these and the authors have been indexed by name.

These are records of this group that brought musical programming to the community, including minutes, reports, correspondence, and programs for events.

WAUWATOSA PIONEERS (1931-1980)

Minutes and papers related to this organization that had roots to the pioneer settlers of Wauwatosa.

Material of the club’s activities, including special events and photographs of curling.

WAUWATOSA WAR MEMORIAL (1945-1956)

Records of the community fund-raising effort to create a memorial in the civic center.

WHEELER FAMILY

Genealogical information on this pioneer family.

WELLS FAMILY (1888-1910)

Memorabilia from this early family, including school items and photographs.

ZILLMER-MOORE FAMILY

Genealogical information on these families with some material on the Etzel and Swan families. There is also a large collection of identified photographs of early Wauwatosa settlers.

WALKER FAMILY

Papers, memorabilia, photographs, and artifacts that belonged to Emery Walker, 2^nd owner of the Kneeland-Walker House, including material on both of his wives, Maybelle and Constance.

OLSON, FREDERICK I.

These are personal papers of Dr. Olson related to his historical writings on Wauwatosa and other memorabilia.