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Local History Manuscript Collections

Local History Manuscript Collections

The Local History Manuscript Collections contain manuscripts, diaries, correspondence and other primary source material that focus on life and events in the City of Milwaukee.

These collections contain personal papers, family papers, and organizational records and cover topics such as Socialism, literary manuscripts, and other materials that represent Milwaukee’s history. Some collections include the Frank Zeidler Papers, Max Nohl Papers, and the Wisconsin Visual Artists Records. These holdings are in differing stages of organization and preparation, hence accessibility varies.

Finding aids for some of the Local History Manuscript Collections listed in the index may be consulted in paper form in the Frank P. Zeidler Humanities Room at the Central Library. Some searching for collections may also be done using CountyCat, particularly to find related materials. Increasingly, finding aids for the Local History Manuscript Collections may be found online by using Archival Resources in Wisconsin which contains the finding aids of archival collections in the Milwaukee Public Library and around the state of Wisconsin.

Using the Collections

Local History Manuscript Collections are viewed by appointment only in the Frank P. Zeidler Room of the Central Library. All materials are requested and appointments are scheduled here. Same day access cannot be guaranteed.