State and Local History

House of History: Black LGBTQ+ Milwaukee History

The House of History is devoted to collecting and sharing Black LGBTQ+ history in Milwaukee. Inspired by the experience of Janice Toy (one of the interviewees featured in this collection), Dr. Brice Smith worked with Janice to gather oral history interviews to create an historical record of her community. The oral history narrators documented here include twenty three Black LGBTQ+ Milwaukeeans known for their historical significance and/or unique perspective on culturally relevant experiences. The interviews were conducted in 2022 and 2023, with support from Diverse & Resilient (a non-profit public health organization that is led by, and has primarily served Black LGBTQ+ Milwaukeeans for nearly thirty years), the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This collection includes the full oral histories. Please visit The House of History site for even more history: https://www.houseofhistorymke.org/

Invictus

The Invictus, launched in 1977, was published by the UWM Black Student Union (BSU), giving voice to the University’s African American student body with news features, profiles, and poetry. The paper had two significant idle periods – one in the early 1980s and another between 1988 and 1993 – but was relaunched after both by the BSU.

Irene Bishop Goggans Collection

The Irene Bishop Goggans collection contains materials pertaining to the African American community in Milwaukee and across the country. Materials collected by Irene Goggans (1926-2017) are mostly from the 1950s to the early 2010s and include newspaper clippings, photographs, event programs, and more.

Jane Morgan Memorial Library

In 2018, the Jane Morgan Memorial Library and the Cambria-Friesland Historical Society began to digitize materials from their archives that are important to the history of Cambria and nearby communities in Columbia County, Wisconsin. The digital collection includes photographs, postcards and pamphlets such as a booklet published for the 1944 Cambria centennial and the “Cambria Victory Homecoming” after World War II.

Janesville’s Past

A range of materials documenting the history of Janesville, Wisconsin including photographs and postcards from the 1840s through the 1980s and directories for the city of Janesville and Rock County, 1857-1931. Also includes walking guides to historic districts published in the 1990s and 2000s.

Jungwirth Histories of Oshkosh

Books on the history of and life in Oshkosh, Wisconsin compiled and written by local historian Clarence “Inky” Jungwirth.

Kaukauna Memory Project

Local history materials from the community of Kaukauna, Wisconsin including early 20th century postcards, marriage licenses ca. 1905-1959, materials related to the Riverview Sanatorium tuburculosis hospital, a membership roll for the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, high school graduation programs and publications including Kaukauna 175th Jubilee Album (1965) and Industrial Kaukauna (1939).

Kenosha and Racine Historic Photos

This collection of glass plate negatives captures the daily life of people in the Midwest between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Many of the subjects in this collection are from the Baldwin family who were prominent in the coal industry. The Baldwin Coal Company, founded by George Smith Baldwin (1835-1923), was the first of its industry in Kenosha. His son Harry Merrill Baldwin (1862-1950), the owner of the Baldwin house, was the father to Drew and Lawrence Baldwin, whose photos show up often in this collection. In addition to human subjects, prominently featured in this collection are photos of marine vessels ranging from schooners, to warships, to yachts.

Kenosha County Digital Archive

These collections, from Community Library (Salem), Kenosha Public Library, and Kenosha County Libray System, feature photographs, documents, genealogy records, letters, and maps from Kenosha County cities, towns, and schools.

Kenosha County History – Images and Texts, 1830s-1940s

The C.E. Dewey Lantern Slide Collection contains images of Kenosha County from the 1830s to the early 1940s. The Louis M. Thiers Glass Negative Collection contains images from the 1880s into the 1910s. The digital collection also includes several books documenting the history of Racine and Kenosha counties.

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