Welcome to our Online Collections Database

The Wauwatosa Historical Society collects, preserves, and stores objects, documents, and images to help us share Wauwatosa’s stories. The special collections of WHS reflect the history of Wauwatosa from its beginnings to the present. It includes school yearbooks, biographical files, the Wauwatosa Times newspaper, cemetery records, and maps. It also includes objects, published works, and manuscripts in addition to postcards and images.

If you’re interested in learning more about our collections or searching in our library, please contact us.

The Wauwatosa Historical Society has over 10,000 images in the collection. Not all of them are currently available online. Reproduction uses may be permitted with permission, at the Society's discretion.

To request reproduction use, please contact us at jasrl@wauwatosahistoricalsociety.org.

The Wauwatosa Historical Society retains all rights to reproduction for photographs and works from the collection as the institution protecting said collections in the public trust to the fullest extent of the law. All reproductions must be credited as follows: Courtesy of the Wauwatosa Historical Society in a caption or credit. Permission is granted for one-time, non-exclusive use only. All reproduction fees directly benefit the care of the Society’s collection. Use Fees are per image, per medium.

Lefeber Glass Plate Collection

This collection of more than 2,000 glass plate negatives provides a unique look at Wauwatosa from 1900 to 1935 through the eyes of one of the city’s most well-known families. Unlike much of the photography of this time, the Lefebers, owners of a longtime Village general store, took casual shots in addition to posed pictures, creating a visual time machine of life in our city more than 100 years ago.

Postcard Collection

Discover our community’s rich history through a captivating collection of over 500 digitized postcards, featuring iconic Wauwatosa historic buildings and more.

Nethercut Collection

This collection contains family genealogy, reminiscences, correspondence and photographs. Lavinia Damon Warren was the wife of Jonathan Merriam Warren who came to what is now Wauwatosa in October of 1838 and built the third house in the clearing and started the grist mill. Lavinia's son was Luther Warren who married Anna L. Hoppin Warren. Helen Warren (born in 1861) was their daughter who married William R. Nethercut. They had six children: Ruth, Bill, Marjorie (of Wauwatosa) , Don, Glen and Bob. These are records of the family.

Sheet Music Collection

The sheet music collection is made up of over 420 pieces from the early to mid 20th century. The covers of this sheet music is as interesting as the music itself. The personal music collection of Martha Esther Hahm/Martha Perry is a snapshot of early 20th century home music making primarily for piano and voice. The Wauwatosa Women's Club Collection is music for women's voices for a variety of occasions and events. Band and orchestra music including dance music for school dances are from the Wauwatosa Public Schools collection. Notably this collection has a food theme with titles referring to peaches, coffee, chocolate and other food items. Part of a collection donated by Carol Mey covers a broad array of music from early to the mid-20th century. This collection contains technique books for developing piano and violin skills and includes hand sewn scores and miniature pocket-sized scores.

Tips for Searching

Keyword Search

The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for Hanley Ranch will return records associated with Hanley OR Ranch). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Rocky Pine Ranch"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.

Random Images

The Random Images button is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

Catalog Searches (Archives / Photos / Libraries / Objects)

The catalog buttons can also help narrow down your search, by only searching with a selected catalog. If you only want to search for Photos, click the Photos button and type in your keyword(s) or phrase. You can also browse records within that catalog without performing a search. Phrase searching, wildcards (*) as well as AND/OR statements are available when performing catalog searches.