Something I’ve learned early on as an antique collector is that history doesn’t always stay where you left it.
Some of it ends up in a scrapbook in someone’s attic. Some of it travels across the country tucked into a photo album or a bundle of old postcards. And some of it, if you’re lucky, gets donated to a place like the Milwaukee Public Library.
I recently visited MPL’s Special Collections, where Sarah Finn pulled Pfister-related materials that have made their way into the library’s care over the years. Tim Rush, who oversees the rare books room, was also generous with his time and knowledge. What I found there was exactly what I’d hoped for: evidence that the Pfister wasn’t just a landmark, it was a place people loved enough to document.
Letters. Menus. Photographs. The kind of things people keep because something mattered.
A lot of Pfister history lives outside the hotel itself. It’s in libraries, historical societies, and in private homes people may not even realize they’re holding onto. That’s what makes tracing it so interesting, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of what I found.
In the meantime, MPL’s Special Collections and their online archives are worth exploring on your own. They’re free to browse and genuinely fun to go through. Just note that there are rules around downloading and reproducing materials, so be sure to read those before you save anything.
Links:
Until next time,
Megan