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Milwaukee Annual Reports

These yearbooks for city government were produced by the Milwaukee Common Council from 1921 until 2000, after which they were replaced by the city’s website. Designed to be a way to communicate directly with Milwaukee’s citizens, they highlighted activities by the various departments and were a quick-reference guide for city information. In addition to yearly accomplishments, most of the later years’ editions feature biographies of elected officials, maps of aldermanic districts, budget summaries, phone directories, photos, and handy facts about the city.

Milwaukee Area Technical College

Photographs from the Milwaukee Area Technical College archives illustrate the range of vocational instruction offered at MATC since its founding in 1912, including nursing, cosmetology, metalworking, mechanics, accounting and electronics.

Milwaukee County Historical Society

The Milwaukee County Historical Society (MCHS)’s photograph collection is one of its key archival collections, alongside county records, manuscript collections, maps, and a small non-circulating library of books. MCHS’s photograph collection documents the history of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County and comprises photographic prints, slides, and negatives. The bulk of the photograph collection documents the 1890s through the 1980s, although older and more recent materials are also represented. The collection is divided into multiple portions, including those corresponding to individual photographers, subjects, and streets in Milwaukee County.

Milwaukee County Marriage Certificates

This collection of more than 20,000 marriage certificates dating from 1822-1876 was digitized from microfilm and indexed by the Milwaukee County Genealogical Society.

Milwaukee Historic Menus

The Historic Menus digital collection includes a variety of menus from the Milwaukee area from the early twentieth century to the present.

Milwaukee Historic Photos

Selections from the Milwaukee Public Library’s Historic Photo Collection. The full collection includes over 50,000 photographs of Milwaukee dating from the late 19th century to the present.

Milwaukee Historic Trade Cards

Printed color trade cards distributed by Milwaukee businesses. This collection, housed in the Milwaukee Public Library’s Richard E. and Lucile Krug Rare Books Room, provides a snapshot of Milwaukee’s retail and service economy in the late 19th century.

Milwaukee Leaders

The Milwaukee Leaders Collection began in 1989 as a photo exhibit at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Milwaukee Public Library Neighborhood Library titled “Black Role Models in Milwaukee.” The honorees were selected by the community as exemplifying leading citizens for their own generation and those to follow.

Milwaukee LGBT Oral History Project Interviews

Oral history interviews conducted by the Milwaukee LGBT History Project 2003-2007. Interviewees describe their coming out experiences, the Gay Liberation Movement in Milwaukee, early LGBT organizations, the impact of feminism on LGBT politics, and LGBT social activities.

Milwaukee Maps

Various maps of the City of Milwaukee and the greater metro area, including population, transit and street maps, from the 1870s through the 1970s.