Racine Heritage Museum - Archives / Research Center

701 Main Street
Racine, Wisconsin 53403-1211

Dick Ammann, Archivist
Phone: 262-636-3926.
Email: reammann[at]clmail.com
Archives hours: Tuesdays from 1 to 4:30, Saturdays from 10 to 1, and other times possible with advance appointment
http://www.racineheritagemuseum.org/

The archive has evolved, along with the Heritage Museum, from the Racine County Old Settlers' Society of the 1800s, then onward to the Racine County Historical Society and is now the current county-wide historical society, museum, and archives collection. The major specialization is in Racine County themes and materials.

The archive is rich in family history materials and related indexes, plus resources relating to the county's business and industry, infrastructure, institutions, and development. There are significant collections from several local industries, such as the J.I. Case Corporation, Western Publishing, and Haban Manufacturing. The Racine Journal Times newspaper has donated its clippings library and photo collection. They have been developing a reference copy set of our approximately 70,000 images, plus a copy set of materials regarding general county and municipal history, including popular topics such as the Underground Railroad in the county, the Racine Belles professional women's baseball team, and architect Frank Lloyd Wright's influence on our county's architecture.

Community outreach programs are occurring monthly with the “First Fridays” program. Such First Friday events include Civil War reenactments, Racine Classic Cars, and tours of the Old Schoolhouse. Also occurring at these events are the openings of new exhibits and raffles. September’s exhibit was “People and Wheat,” illuminating ethnic immigration into Racine county and the importance of the wheat crop in the cultural and economical development of the area.

Long distance research services are available and reproductions of images are available for purchase.



Reproduction of a painting of Racine Harbor from the 1850s. The view is toward the southeast, with Lake Michigan at the far left and the State Street Bridge toward the right. The large warehouse southeast of the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge at the left was owned by Dutton and Raymond. It has been verified as an Underground Railroad site, a final hiding place for passengers waiting for a friendly Great Lakes vessel to drop them off in Canada.


The first diesel-powered craft in Racine Harbor was probably this unlikely visitor on August 11, 1919: the German Navy's U C 97, which was turned over to the Allied forces at the close of World War One. She was taken on tour through the Great Lakes in 1919 and 1920 to raise funds for post-war bond drives. She ended her tour in Chicago then was sunk in Lake Michigan, in accord with naval treaties. She was used for off-shore target practice in June 1912, off of northern Illinois, and has been located by contemporary divers.


Integrated local and regional public transit is represented in this image of the North Shore interurban station in West Racine in about 1929, when a new train was displayed. In this era, over 30 passenger trains a day passed through Racine. To the right is the local Racine street car which will loop around downtown. In the foreground is a taxi cab. Today, only one lone taxi vehicle exists in the city. The street cars disappeared in the early 1950s and the North Shore was shortsightedly killed in the early 1960s.


The Racine Belles professional women's baseball team was portrayed in the contemporary film, "A League of their Own." Contrary to the film's depictions, the players, coach, chaperone, and management all interacted positively. These five ladies were photographed at Racine's Horlick Field: Betty Trezza, LaVonne Paire, Margaret Danhauser, Sopy Kurys, and Madeline English.

Top image: Postcard from the 1920s showing the Carnegie Library. The building was given a new life as the Racine County Museum (now Racine Heritage Museum) in 1962.

All images are from the Archives collection. The Museum maintains reproduction copy rights.

Entry compiled by Rachel Pieper