This collection is arranged in three parts. Part 1 consists of the original collection held by the Archives; its materials date 1889-1945. Part 2 consists of additions presented to the Archives and organized in 1974; these materials date from 1902 through 1945. Part 3 consists of photographs; for most, the dates are unknown.
Part 1 (Wis Mss HB, Micro 2000): Original Collection, 1889-1945
The Brown Papers were acquired by the Manuscript Department over a period of many years. They included material collected by Brown as curator of the Museum and secretary of the Wisconsin Archeological Society from many sources on such subjects as Chippewa [Ojibwe/Ojibwa], Potawatomi [Neshnabé], Winnebago [Ho-Chunk], and other Wisconsin Indians, lumbering, steamboating, University campus tales, local material and pioneer life, biographies and interviews, folklore, museums, and other subjects. Only a few files contain information concerning the administration of the Historical Society or his personal life.
In August 1946, six months after Mr. Brown's death, Mrs. Brown donated three large packing boxes of material to the Historical Library, the bulk of which consisted of photographs, maps, and archaeological surveys, mostly of Wisconsin. The printed material was added to the Library's holdings and the archaeological material was left, for the most part, in the original arrangement used by Brown, filed in manuscript boxes, and, when appropriate, arranged alphabetically by county. For each county the relevant material was filed in chronological order. Because most of the maps contained manuscript annotations that would be of interest only to persons using the collection, the maps were retained with the papers; others were placed in the map collection.
The material donated to the Manuscript Department by Brown himself has been left in the subject arrangement used by Brown. An attempt was made, however, to enable the reader to find the material more readily by compiling a partial list of important correspondents which is Appendix 1 of this finding aid. Most of the correspondence from these people can be found mentioned in the material on campus tales, Wisconsin lore, and biographies and interviews of pioneer life. Appendix 2 is a list of the authors of articles, letters, and other material in the collection. This list, too, is not complete.
In 1990 the county files, the most extensively used portions of the collection, were microfilmed in order to insure their preservation and to make the information accessible to a wider audience. These files contain correspondence, archaeological survey forms, notes, writings, photographs, and clippings. For most counties, the material is filed chronologically, with additional subject categories having been created for several counties (especially Dane, Jefferson, Milwaukee, and Sauk) where the material was extensive.
Three additional boxes of Brown's correspondence (1908-1944) as curator of the SHSW Museum has been catalogued with the State Archives holdings as Series 972.
Part 2 (Mss 287): Additions, 1902-1945
These additions to the Brown Papers contain incoming correspondence and a few manuscripts by Brown relating to archaeological, anthropological, and historical subjects; notes and sketches of artifacts and Indian mounds, carvings, and signs; maps indicating the distribution of Wisconsin artifacts, Indian groups, and cemeteries; news clippings; and miscellaneous material. The papers are organized by subject into six groups. All dated correspondence is organized chronologically within the folders. There is no family material in this portion of the collection and very little of a personal nature aside from letters from fellow archaeologists who knew him personally.
The papers cover a disparate range of subjects, some of which overlap. Ten folders constitute the Artifacts group. Included are eight folders containing incoming correspondence, 1902-1945, notes, and a large number of sketches of metal and stone artifacts. Two folders contain maps indicating the distribution of artifacts in Wisconsin and sites where artifacts might be found, such as Indian cemeteries and planting grounds.
The Indian group (four folders) contains incoming correspondence and maps, outlines and drawings of the dedication ceremonies of Wisconsin Indian mounds. There are also historical notes and manuscripts by Brown on Wisconsin Indian tribes and notes and drawings of Indian signs, carvings, and artifacts.
The Historical/Anthropological group (three folders) contains drawings and notes on buffalo in Wisconsin, a paper by Brown entitled “Rice Lakes and Rivers in Wisconsin,” and one lengthy incoming letter on Wadjak man.
The general correspondence (three folders) includes incoming letters, 1902-1940, as well as some miscellaneous fragments and undated material.
The Wisconsin Archeological Society file consists of one folder of incoming correspondence (1904-1905), programs, and notes by Brown. The final section consists of xeroxed clippings dealing with historical and archaeological subjects in which Brown was interested.
Part 3 (PH 1367, PH 2483, PF 3700, PH 7148): Photographs, circa 1900-1933
The photographs are divided into four subseries. The first subseries (dates unknown) represent part of the reference files of the Wisconsin Archeological Society, probably collected by Brown, and include images of Native American burial mounds, effigy mounds, stone artifacts, arrowheads, and flint tool collections, archaeologists in the field, and field excursions. Many of these photographs have been published in the Wisconsin Archeological Society's journal, Wisconsin Archeologist. The second subseries documents University of Wisconsin summer session students on field trips in the Madison, Wisconsin area, 1913-1914, 1923, 1930, 1932-1933. Included are trips to Lake Mendota mounds, Observatory Hill, the State Hospital grounds, and West Point. The third subseries documents Ojibwe/Ojibwa tribe members at Reserve, Wisconsin, celebrating the return of Ojibwe/Ojibwa soldiers from World War I on June 19, 1919. Included are images of Wisconsin Governor Emanuel L. Philipp and Ojibwe/Ojibwa dancers. The fourth subseries are photographs collected by Brown which documents indigenous Filipinos. The photographs were likely collected while serving as curator of the United States Philippine Exposition at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904.
