1921] THAL, THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM. 



THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM 



By Carl Thal' 



As an introduction to the Museum's new publication, the "Year- 

 book", the following short sketch of the inception and early history of 

 the institution is offered. 



In the year 1851, Peter Engelmann, a renowned German educator, 

 imbued with the value of visual instruction, came to Milwaukee, open- 

 ing a private school out of which grew the German-English Academy, 

 founded by the "Milwaukee Schulverein''. with Prof. Engelmann as its 

 head. He was an enthusiast in the study of nature, and through his 

 teachings this enthusiasm was implanted in his pupils, who, under his 

 leadership, began to make the first collections of natural history speci- 

 mens. In the course of years, these grew to such a magnitude that Prof. 

 Engelmann. and others interested in natural history, formed in the year 

 1857, the "Naturhistorische Verein von Wisconsin". From that time 

 on the collections of the Natural History Society increased so rapidly 

 that in the year 1882 the society was no longer in a position to take care 

 of its possessions and resolved to donate its entire collection and other 

 property valued at $30,000 to the city, provided the Common Council 

 would accept the gift as a nucleus for a Public Museum. The Common 

 Council early in 1882 acted favorably upon the petition. 



On April 13th, 1882, the State Legislature passed an enabling act, 

 authorizing the directors of the Natural History Society to convey to 

 the city, the collections of the society. On April 14th. 1882, the Legisla- 

 ture passed an additional law authorizing the city to accept the gift, and 

 also providing for the appointment of a Board of Trustees, and for the 

 levying of a special mill tax for the maintenance and increase of the 

 Museum's collections. 



In Fel^ruary, 1883. the Board of Trustees organized, elected Gen'l. 

 F. C. Winkler its first president, and Mr. Chas. Doerflinger its secre- 

 tary and the first custodian of the Museum. 



The Museum at that time was located in one of the halls of the Ger- 

 man-English Academy on Broadway, near Juneau Avenue, but with 

 only 6,000 square feet of exhibition space available. 



The Board of Trustees, cognizant of the fact that no more space 

 was possible at that location, resolved to immediately provide for larger 

 quarters, and after having inspected some of the larger halls in the city, 



'Librarian, Milwaukee Public Museum. 



