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History & Genealogy Resources
There are a wide variety of historical and genealogical materials available at the Kenosha Public Library. Two resource brochures: Local Historical Resources (2005) and Genealogy Resources and Services (2005), are available at any Reference Service desk. They provide an overview of history and genealogy information sources at KPL, especially those related to Kenosha and the communities within Kenosha County.
Local Institutions and Resources
- Kenosha History Center Archives
- UW-Parkside Archives & Area Research Center
- Family History Center Libraries (LDS Church)
Digital Collection
The newest addition to the digital collection, Kenosha's Lost Industries: Photographs and Corporate Materials, 1850s-1990s, contains over 1,600 images and 35 corporate catalogs, product advertising pieces, periodicals, books, posters, a newspaper supplement, program booklet, stereo cards, and publicity shots relate to former major manufacturers in Kenosha County that had a significant impact on the growth of the city and the lives of its citizens as well as an influential state, national, and international presence.
The Kenosha County History: Images and Texts, 1830s-1940s digital collection contains materials owned by the KPL and the Kenosha History Center County Historical Society and Museum. It preserves fragile local resources and makes them readily available to the public via the Internet. This local collection is part of the State of Wisconsin Collection which brings together, in digital form, a rich variety of resources related to the State of Wisconsin, its history and ongoing development.
The collection includes materials from the C.E. Dewey Lantern Slide Collection. Named collectively for Cortland Ernest Dewey, the 1,232 images primarily depict people, buildings, landscapes, objects and significant events in the city and county of Kenosha from the 1830s to the early 1940s.
The Louis M. Thiers Glass Negative Collection captures nearly 1,000 subjects and scenes from the late 1880s into the early 1910s. This local resident’s background, devotion to family, friends, civic life, the enjoyment of simple pleasures, and the beauty of nature are described in the book Focus on Louis Thiers: a Photographer’s View of Kenosha by local authors Diane Giles and others.
The digitized collection photos are available for purchase through the Kenosha History Center. Please contact them at (262) 654-5770, ext. 107 for more information.
