Collections
The UW-Green Bay Archives is your gateway to the rich history of northeastern Wisconsin. Our collections span centuries, preserving local stories, documents, publications and more. These resources are grouped into the following main categories. Jump to each section in the page below:
Area Research Center (ARC)
The Green Bay ARC is part of a statewide network in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS). Established in 1972, the ARC serves as the official repository for WHS collections related to northeastern Wisconsin, covering the following counties:
- Brown
- Calumet
- Door
- Florence
- Kewaunee
- Manitowoc
- Marinette
- Menominee
- Oconto
- Outagamie
- Shawano
Types of Materials
Materials at the ARC are original, historic documents divided into two groups: manuscripts and public records.
Manuscripts
Manuscripts are collections of papers or records of individuals, organizations, or businesses. The manuscript collections vary a great deal in type such as diaries, letters, reminiscences, family papers, scrapbooks, minutes and publications. The collections range in date from 1634 to the present.
Examples
Specific examples of manuscript collections include:
- church records
- community organizations
- environmental activist groups
- labor unions
- military accounts
- politicians
- religious groups
- tribal organizations
- women’s clubs
Business Records
Business records at the ARC are varied and include those of:
- cheese companies
- lumber companies
- cooperatives
- breweries
- canning companies
- law firms
Public Records
Government agencies at all levels (state, county and municipal) generate public records as part of their daily operations. These records offer valuable insights into the history of our communities.
State Records
Our state records include a few collections pertinent to northeastern Wisconsin. The most often-used are vital records indexes (births, deaths, marriages).
Local Records
At the county and municipal levels (village, city, town or township), the collections vary by location and may include records from:
- circuit courts
- county clerks
- county treasurers
- municipal courts
- probate courts
- registers of deeds
- school districts
- town boards
Examples
Specific examples of county and municipal records include:
- citizenship records
- civil & criminal case files
- election records
- land records
- school censuses
- tax rolls
Finding ARC Collections
To learn more about individual collections in the ARC network, search the library catalog and descriptive finding aids.
Resource Sharing: Transfer of Collections
The ARC Network offers a convenient service for accessing archival collections across Wisconsin. Researchers can request materials from other ARCs or the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) to be transferred locally, eliminating the need to travel to distant locations. Key details about resource sharing:
- Records can be transferred for use at the local ARC within about a week.
- Materials are available for research for up to 30 days.
- Examples: Civil War records from Madison or Hmong oral history interviews from La Crosse can be brought to your location.
University Archives
UW-Green Bay Historical Records
Whether you’re researching UW-Green Bay’s past of looking for a specific historical fact, the University Archive is a rich resource.
- basketball films
- committee records
- departmental & administrative records
- faculty records
- historical records
- master’s theses
- oral history interviews
- photo collection
- student organizations
- University publications
University-Owned Manuscripts
The Archives Department holds manuscripts pertaining to northeastern Wisconsin. Types of collections include files of local organizations, businesses and individuals.
Clubs, Organizations & Businesses
Explore records from local businesses, cultural groups and community organizations that influenced the region’s growth and character.
- Fort Howard Paper Company
- Green Bay-De Pere Antiquarian Society (women’s club)
- Green Bay Mayor’s Beautification Committee (Green Bay landmarks)
- Green Bay Symphony
- Larsen Canning Company
- Napalese Lounge (second oldest Wisconsin LGBTQ+ bar)
- NEW Community Clinic
- On Broadway, Inc. (development and promotion of Broadway District)
- Peninsula Players Theatre (oldest outdoor theatre)
- Positive Voice (LGBTQIA+ advocacy group)
Personal Papers
Discover the personal side of local history through diaries, letters and firsthand accounts that reflect the experiences and voices of individuals across time.
- Anna Schroeder Diaries (Outagamie County farmwife)
- Bev & Stu Smith Papers (local playwrights and actors)
- Charles Enigl Papers (decades of diaries & correspondence about life events)
- Dave Hansen Papers (former Wisconsin senator of 21 years)
- Goska Family Papers (love letters from multiple generations)
- Harold Elder Collection (local illustrator and cartoonist)
- John Cookson Papers (Spanish Civil War in late 1930s)
- Mary Ann Defnet Research Collection (Belgian-American focus)
- Richard Stolz Papers (young children writing to mother)
- World War II Women’s Oral History Interviews
Local History & Genealogy Collections
The Local History and Genealogy Collections in our archives consist of many materials that support the research needs of individuals interested in a wide range of local history topics. The materials focus on Wisconsin and more specifically the northeastern Wisconsin counties of Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie and Shawano.
Books
The Archives Department collects and maintains a non-circulating book collection mainly about the history of northeastern Wisconsin. All books can be found in Search@UW. Some of the subjects represented are:
- Baedeker's travel guides
(dated from the 1800s) - Church histories
- City directories
- Community development
- Community histories
- Cookbooks
- County histories
- Ethnic studies
- Family histories
- Genealogy resource & how-to books
- Local industries
- Sports
- Wisconsin Native Americans
Green Bay & Fox River Water Quality
More than 1,400 publications about all aspects of Green Bay and the Fox River are discoverable through Search@UW, including flora, fauna, pollution, natural history and geology.
Maps
The Archives Department collects and maintains a non-circulating map collection mainly about the geography of northeastern Wisconsin. All maps can be found using Search@UW. You can also search the 1875 Brown County plat map index. Some types of maps represented are:
- Plat maps
- Sanborn Fire Insurance maps
- Highway maps
- Soil & topography maps
- City & town maps
- Railroad maps
- Cemetery plats
- Atlases
Periodicals
The Archives Department has physical newsletters, magazines and other publications from northeastern Wisconsin genealogical and historical societies. Specific titles and holdings of periodicals are available through Search@UW.
Digital collections of some local historical newspapers are also available for on-campus researchers.
Photographs
We house a collection of approximately 2,000 photographic images which include:
- Historic street scenes - from Green Bay and other Northeastern Wisconsin communities
- Belgian-American communities - from the Belgian-American Collection
- Buildings - Homes, businesses, schools, churches and others
- People - Individuals, families and other group shots (clubs, bands, etc.)
- Events
- Waterways
Vertical Files
A vertical file is used to collect and preserve small pieces of valuable information in a variety of formats: pamphlets, news clippings, commemorative booklets, programs, etc. Arranged alphabetically, the collection contains these types of subjects:
- Buildings
- Churches & cemeteries
- Cities & towns
- Ethnic groups
- Events
- People
- Student research papers*
*Student research papers are on a wide variety of topics, especially building and community histories. Specific topics can be found using Search@UW.
Digital Collections
Access a selection of digitized materials, making it easier than ever to explore our resources online.
Need Assistance?
Explore our extensive holdings, but if you still have questions about our collections, our archivists are here to help.