Lodi Woman's Club Scrapbooks-Lodi Public Library

Lodi Woman’s Club Scrapbooks
Lodi Public Library
130 Lodi Street
Lodi, WI

The Lodi Public Library houses a collection of scrapbooks of the Lodi Woman’s Club. The Woman’s Club collected many scrapbooks until the early 1990s. During the library’s remodeling in 1990, volunteers assisted in moving the scrapbooks--person to person--from the old building to the new. There are also scrapbooks showing Summer Library Programs starting in 1961.

Kristine Millard, co-director of the Lodi Public Library, said the library houses bookshelves of local history books and scrapbooks. She found a unique scrapbook of the Merrick Family. The Merrick Family scrapbook was compiled by a relative from Washington State.

Additionally the library compiled scrapbooks during the early 2000s documenting the Summer Reading Program at the library.
They encourage local children to check out a ‘travel bear’ from the library to take with them on vacation and then send postcards to the library during the Summer Library Program from where they are visiting. The library has received postcards from many states, even Alaska, and from other countries, Sweden and Israel.

Entry compiled by Emily Johnson

Images courtesy of Kristine Millard, Co-director

World War II Scrapbook-Rusk County Historical Society

World War II Scrapbook
Rusk County Historical Society
N2754 Dicus Rd
Ladysmith, WI 54848
Phone: 715-532-3633
Janet Platteter, Curator

The World War II scrapbook includes local newspaper articles concerning Rusk County soldiers who were serving in the war during 1943-1944.

Also included are newspapers clippings of national news as the war was won. The scrapbook was compiled by Peg Smith Christianson, a life-long resident of Rusk County. Peg worked as a nurse to one of the local doctors, Dr. Bauer for 20 years before she retired. She is now a resident of Rusk County Nursing Home. Peg has 3 sons and 5 grandchildren.
The scrapbook contains many newspaper clippings about her brother, who was killed in the war, it also includes clippings about her boyfriend who was killed in 1945. The scrapbook contains a Western Union telegram from Mick, her boyfriend, upon his arriving back in the states on Mar 15, 1945 while on leave. Her boyfriend, Mickey (Mick) was aboard the U.S.S. Pennsylvania when he was reported missing as the ship was shot on somewhere in the Pacific on August 12, 1945.

Rusk County, originally named Gates in honor of John L. Gates, then a prominent Milwaukee lumberman and capitalist. It was changed (1905) to Rusk in honor of Governor Jeremiah M. Rusk (1830-93). Rusk was born in Ohio, and removed to Wisconsin in 1853, settling at Viroqua.
The Rusk County Historical Society is located on the Rusk County fairgrounds in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.


Entry compiled by Carla Alvarez.
Images courtesy of the Rusk County Historical Society.

Poster Stamp Book-Sheboygan County Historical Research Center

Poster Stamp Book by Henriette J. Toutenhoofd
Sheboygan County Historical Research Center
518 Water Street
Sheboygan Falls, WI 53085
920-467-4667
www.schrc.org

Henriette Toutenhoofd's poster stamp book was probably assembled around 1916. Highlighted in these pages are colorful stamps from Sheboygan County businesses. Poster stamps were particularly popular just before World War I, and were stamp-sized adhesive posters that served as advertisements for businesses.

The Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, or "SCHRC", is an independent, non-profit organization established in 1980 by Sheboygan County's history-minded community. The Research Center is an archival library dedicated to preserving the written history of Sheboygan County and its surrounding areas. It is open to the public five days per week throughout the year. You can visit the SCHRC on the web at http://www.schrc.org.

Images Courtesy of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.

Blog entry compiled by: Meredith Lowe

Historic Businesses of Prairie du Sac Scrapbook-Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society

Historic Businesses of Prairie du Sac Scrapbook
Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society
565 Water Street
Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin 53578
Phone: 608-644-8444
Email: spahs@verizon.net
Website: http://www.saukprairiehistory.org/index.html
Fauhn Breunig- Tripp Museum Manager

This scrapbook is a collection of photos & post cards of businesses in the downtown shopping district of Prairie du Sac as they were built up to the present late 1990’s. Many of the buildings have history dating back to the later 1800’s.
A story of each building accompanies the photos. Each story details information of the original owner or builder and a list of occupants that operated businesses out of that particular building. interesting facts about the personal lives of the owners and changes to the type of operations conducted within the building are indicated. Some copies of receipt tickets and advertising also accompany the photos.
A book titled “History of Prairie du Sac Businesses 2000” was compiled by Henry & Pat Russell in 2001. A major part of that book contains material from this scrapbook.
The Sauk Prairie Area Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge of this history of the Sauk Prairie Area. The society’s principal museum, the J.S. Tripp Memorial Museum, is open year round and is free of charge. In addition to the Tripp museum the society maintains the historic Lady of Loretto Church and Salem (Ragatz) Church.

Compiled by Pete Shrake
Photos by Marlene Meyer

S.F. Bennett Scrapbook-Walworth County Historical Society

S. Fillmore Bennett Scrapbook
Walworth County Historical Society
9 East Rockwell (P.O Box 273)
Elkhorn, WI 53121
http://www.walcohistory.org/

Sanford Fillmore Bennett was born in Eden, Erie County, New York on June 21, 1836. His family moved to Illinois when he was five years old; after attending the Academy at Waukegan (Ill.) and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, he focused his efforts on teaching. In 1861, having moved to Elkhorn, Wis., he pursued his interests in journalism, becoming the associate editor and proprietor of The (Elkhorn) Independent, wherein he published poems and short stories, many of which are contained in this scrapbook.

In addition to his journalistic interests, he also studied medicine. In 1866, he had opened a drug store at 41 N. Wisconsin (Elkhorn). It was at this drug store that the lyrics and music for
“The Sweet By and By” were inspired and created. S. F. Bennett had produced sheet music and other musical works with Joseph P. Webster, a well-known composer who had also moved with his family to Elkhorn, Wis. In 1867, they had worked on “The Signet Ring; a new Sabbath School Book” of which “The Sweet By and By” was one of the songs. He attended and graduated from Rush Medical College in Chicago, Ill in 1874 and died June 12, 1898.
The S.F. Bennett Scrapbook contains hundreds of clippings documenting Dr. Bennett’s writing and editorial career. Though the scrapbook is in a fragile state, it represents a prolific poet, lyricist, doctor, and citizen of Wisconsin and showcases a period of history via a journalistic medium. The scrapbook contains articles and illustrations from that time and reflects the values upheld by Bennett.

The Walworth County Historical Society has collections that include artifacts of Chief Big Foot and his Potawatomi tribe, Civil War guns, period portraits and musical instruments, and an assortment of American and international waterfowl specimens. Also on the property are the Doris M. Reinke Resource Center, which includes the Paul & Katharine Schmidt Library; the Boyd Carriage House, an 1850 hand-hewn oak beam barn named after General John W. Boyd, replete with his carriage; and the Webster House, a clapboard house containing Civil War and Victorian period items.






The Webster House, once owned by Joseph P. Webster, was opened as a museum for the first time in 1956. On August 8, 1970, the Webster House Museum was named a Wisconsin State Landmark and an official marker was installed.

Entry compiled by Tara Genske.

Images courtesy of the Walworth County Historical Society.

Norman Family Scrapbook and Miscellaneous Greeting Cards Scrapbook - Richland County

Norman Family Scrapbook and Miscellaneous Greeting Cards Scrapbook
Richland County History Room in the Brewer Public Library
325 North Central Avenue
Richland Center, WI 53581
Website: http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~richlandcowi/
Email: richlandctyhistoryroom@yahoo.com
(608) 647-6033
Crystal Foley, Historian

Norman Family Scrapbook cover

Norman Family Scrapbook

The inside cover of this collection of Richland County news clippings reads: "A scrapbook given to Mrs. James Norman by her son, Elmer, 25 Dec 1903." It contains newspaper clippings of Henrietta, Woodstock, and West Lima, marriages and obituaries

Humorous headline: "Man, 102, Hurdles Chairs and Jigs Daily to Keep in Good Trim"

for many early Richland County pioneers, and abundant miscellaneous news regarding schools, jury selections, and delegates to conventions. The scrapbook was gifted to the history room by the Myra Poorman Estate. Myra Poorman was the head librarian when the new (Brewer Public) library was built in 1969. She was also librarian at the old Carnegie library in Richland Center. The Norman Family Scrapbook, indexed in 1987, is accessible under call number MSS 293.

Greeting Cards Scrapbook

Pre-1900 scrapbook of greeting cards and other miscellaneous cards

This pre-1900 scrapbook contains name cards, advertising cards, greeting cards, religious cards, programs, merit cards, and valentines that were pasted into a book. One of the cards is dated 1885. Gifted by Marcia Nobel, the scrapbook is accessible under call number MSS 1897. Richland County History Room has dozens of scrapbooks like these in its collection, including several scrapbooks of items pasted into school textbooks.

The Richland County History Room's mission is "To record and promote the heritage of Richland County, Wisconsin by collecting and preserving items related to persons, placed and events of Richland County, Wisconsin. We will oversee and maintain this collection for the use of the public now and for future generations." It maintains a collection of local history artifacts, cemetery records, census records, genealogies, histories, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, pictures, high school yearbooks, township records, and vital records.

The Brewer Public Library, site of the Richland County History Room

Images courtesy of Richland County History Room.

Entry compiled by Kara Blue

Vernon County Scrapbooks - Vernon County Museum

Vernon County Scrapbooks
Vernon County Museum
410 S. Center Avenue
Viroqua, Wisconsin 54665
Website: http://www.frontiernet.net/~vcmuseum/
Email: vcmuseum@frontiernet.net
(608)637-7396
Judy Mathison, Curator

The Vernon County Museum at 410 S. Center Avenue in Viroqua, Wisconsin is dedicated to the preservation of Vernon County, Wisconsin. It is operated by the Vernon County Historical Society. The large four-story brick building, formerly the Vernon County Teacher’s College, holds two floors of historical artifacts and the first floor has an extensive area for genealogy and Vernon County history research. Among these resources is a large collection of scrapbooks donated to the museum by many different donors. The scrapbooks date from 1856 to the present and hold thousands of obituaries, marriages, family histories and other area history collected from various area newspapers and magazines. One person alone donated over 50 scrapbooks to the Museum.

The scrapbooks where originally wrapped in archival white paper to keep articles from falling out and to protect the books from dust and misuse. They were then tied with a soft ribbon. This preserved the books, but Museum staff and volunteers found them cumbersome to untie and hard to file on the racks without catching the neighboring books on the ribbon when removing or replacing the scrapbooks on the shelf. Many times the paper was torn in the process.



The Museum staff sought an alternative and found it in clear archival storage bags purchased from Light Impressions. The scrapbooks fit perfectly in the various size bags that were ordered in bulk. The bags were then marked in felt-tipped marker with the name or accession number that was assigned to each scrapbook. The new system makes the scrapbooks easy to open and allows them to fit neatly on the shelf and be easy to removed or replaced. Light Impressions has since discontinued selling the bags, the Museum staff hope to find another supplier. Not all scrapbooks have been re-housed in the bags. However, they are gradually being re-housed as they are being indexed.

The scrapbooks were rarely used until the Museum staff and volunteers started to index the articles in each book. The Museum did not have a computer when the project was started, so the indexing was done by writing the main person’s name in each article, the event, scrapbook name and page number on index cards. The Vernon County Museum has continued to index the scrapbooks this way as many of our volunteers and researchers do not have computer knowledge and it is something volunteers of all ages are able to do. The volunteers really enjoy reading the articles that bring back memories of years past. Many are surprised when they find information about themselves or their relatives. Researchers are also delighted to find articles to help them in their quest for area history or ancestry information.

The Vernon County Museum is regularly open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 12 P.M. to 4 P.M. in the winter and open every day except Sunday in the summer (same hours). No fee is charged but donations are accepted. Phone the Museum at 608-637-7396 for possible changes in the schedule.

Entry compiled by Sloan Komissarov.