Manufacturing Industry and Labor

Ashland Historical Society Museum

The Ashland Historical Society Museum’s digital collection is a sampling of photographic collections depicting historic buildings in Ashland, Wisconsin and the Chequamegon Bay ore docks.

Consolidated Papers Inc.

Photographs and books documenting the history of the Consolidated Water Power and Paper Company, later Consolidated Papers, Inc., including the Consolidated News employee magazine, published monthly between February 1926 and December 1931.

Eugene Walter Leach Collection

Papers of Walter Eugene Leach (1857-1938), curator of the Racine County Museum. Included are biographical materials on notable Racine residents and Leach’s writings on Racine County history, including chapters of his unpublished manuscript “The Story of Racine County, a History.” There are also records of the Racine Senate, 1844-1851, and the Racine Relief Association, 1883-1898.

Great Lakes Maritime History Project

An overview of Wisconsin’s maritime history. Includes records on individual ships as well as photographs, postcards and pamphlets related to commerce and tourism on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

Kenosha’s Lost Industries – Photographs and Corporate Materials, 1850s-1990s

Kenosha’s Lost Industries – Photographs and Corporate Materials, 1850s-1990s

Industrial scenes, plants, building exteriors and interiors, portraits of corporate owners and boards, advertising and literature about product lines, and images of company activities and events, workers and their families capture the story of the city of Kenosha as a major manufacturing center. Manufacturers represented in the collection include N. R. Allen Sons, American Brass, Bain Wagon Company, Nash Motors, America Motors, MacWhyte, Pirsch, and Simmons.

Kewaunee Memory Project

This collection from the Kewaunee Public Library includes photographs of ships built at the Kewaunee Shipping and Engineering Company (now Kewaunee Fabrications) during the World War II era, from 1941-1946. The photographs are from three albums stored at the Kewaunee Public Library in Kewaunee, Wisconsin.

La Crosse City Board of Trade Reports

Annual reports of the Board of Trade of the City of La Crosse from 1879-1905. Each report highlights various statistical data including school information, financial information and manufacturing information for the city.

La Crosse Plow Company Collection

The La Crosse Plow Company Collection contains a variety of visual materials including repair guides, photographs, 3-dimensional objects, letters, and other similar items. The collection’s materials span the various phases of the La Crosse Plow Company including names such as Sta-Rite, Happy Farmer Tractor Company, and the La Crosse Tractor Company. The bulk of this collection was scanned from materials owned by Randy Reysen, and the other items featured are part of the Murphy Library Special Collections. In total, there are over 100 items included in this collection with the prospect of adding more in the future.

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 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.

View All