Summary Information
Milwaukee Turners Collection
1870-2005
- Milwaukee Turners
- Zeidler, Frank P., 1912-2006
Local History Manuscript Collection 385
- 3.3 cubic ft. (10 boxes)
- 1 oversize folder
Milwaukee Public Library (Map)
Milwaukee Turners is an athletic, social and cultural
organization based on the German Turnverein associations, which were founded by
Frederick Jahn in 1811. The collection contains a variety of memorabilia and other
organizational records.
To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.
English, German
https://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-lhmc0385
Biography/History
Milwaukee Turners is an athletic, social and cultural organization based on the
German Turnverein associations, which were founded by Frederick Jahn in 1811.
Milwaukee Turners was founded in 1853 and espouse the values of liberty, tolerance,
reason and justice in addition to their motto of “Sound Mind in a Sound Body.” Since
their founding, the Turners have been involved in politics at a local and national
level and boast the membership of Milwaukee’s three Socialist mayors. The Milwaukee
Turners remain active in the community to the present day, offering a variety of
programming including the Turner’s School of Gymnastics.
In partnership with University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public
Broadcasting Service, the Milwaukee Turners hosted the 4th Street Forum, a weekly
town hall meeting, encouraging public discussion on issues of pressing concern. Free
and open to the public, forums were taped in front of a live audience for later
broadcast on Milwaukee Public Television, Channels 10 and 36. It is now known as The
Vel Phillips Forum.
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains a variety of memorabilia, souvenir programs, fliers,
ribbons, buttons and other pamphlets and publications about the organization. It
also includes organizational records such as correspondence, meeting minutes,
reports that are mostly from the 1980s-1990s. These records focus on the Turner Hall
restoration, the creation of the Heritage Tourism Center, and other planning
materials. There is also a scrapbook that contains clippings, programs, and other
ephemera. The glass negatives are a series of outdoor images of members in
uniform.
The VHS tapes are primarily episodes of the 4th Street Forum, with a few other
programs included as well. See the index below for a listing of the 4th Street Forum
VHS tapes; some episodes are not numbered. Other episodes of the 4th Street Forum
are cataloged and are available on DVD at MPL.
Arrangement of the Materials
The subjects are arranged alphabetically. Within each folder, contents are arranged
chronologically.
Preferred Citation
Milwaukee Turners Collection, 1870-2005, Collection 385. Local History Manuscript
Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Related Material at Milwaukee Public Library
Archival Collections
Publications and Other Items
Constitution and By-Laws of the Turnverein Milwaukee
Das 25 Jaehrige Stiftungfest des Turn-Vereins Milwaukee, Juli den 17
ten 1878
Die Turnschule des Turnvereins - Milwaukee, 1853-1907
Verfassung des Turnvereins "Milwaukee"
Administrative/Restriction Information
There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all
in accordance with state law. The public may view Local History Manuscript
Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person
appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please
contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel,
privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection
(Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
There is no acquisition information currently available. In 2019 more items were
added from MPL’s Pamphlet collection. Additional materials were added from Frank
Zeidler in 2021. The 4th Street Forum VHS tapes were donated by Emilio De Torre
in 2021. Materials were accessioned as Local History Manuscripts.
Described by Alice Richards, Fieldworker, 2014. Processed by Casey Lapworth,
2019. Materials added by Bob Jaeger, 2021. Materials added by Tobias Fudge,
2023. Negatives added by Jill Fleck, 2025.
Contents List
|
Box
1
Folder
1
|
American Turners, principles and statutes, 1941-1984,
undated
|
|
|
Oversize Folder
1
|
Award, 1881
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
1
|
Buttons and Patches, 1870-1893,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
2
|
Clippings and Articles, 1991-1993,
undated
|
|
|
Constitution and By-Laws
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
3
|
Printed Editions, 1939-1980,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
4
|
Proposed Amendments and Drafts,
1969-1993
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
1
|
Contracts, 1960-1994
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
5
|
Correspondence, 1981-1997
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
6
|
Employees, job descriptions and complaints,
1989-1995
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
2
|
Financial Statements, 1908-1917,
1970-2000
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
7
|
Fliers and Brochures, 1903-2003,
undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
8
|
General History, 1989, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
9
|
Grants, 1994, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
10
|
Harnack, Mildred Fish, tribute,
1992-1993
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
11
|
Heritage Tourism Center, 1990-1995
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
12
|
Jahn Festival and Fund, 1946,
undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
3
|
Leases, 1970-1995
|
|
|
Oversize Folder
1
|
Lithograph, Kurz-Seifert, undated
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
4
|
Meetings, minutes and agendas,
1991-1999
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
13
|
Members, lists and information,
1987-2004
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
14
|
Memoranda, 1986-1996
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
15
|
Miscellaneous, 1994-1996, undated
|
|
|
Box
1
Folder
16
|
Mission Statement: "Vision 2000",
1994
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
2
|
Music/Songs, 1980
|
|
|
Box
10
|
Negatives, undated
17 glass plate negatives
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
5
|
Parking Lot, undated
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
3-4
|
Photographs, 1870, 1891
|
|
|
Programs
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
1-2
|
Balls/Galas, 1889-1921
|
|
|
Box
3
Folder
3-9
|
General Events, 1890-2003
|
|
|
Publications
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
1
|
American Turners Topics,
1948-2001
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
2-3
|
The Milwaukee Turner,
1943-2004
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
6
|
Newsletters, 1981-1988
|
|
|
Box
4
Folder
4
|
Turner Link,
1991-1992
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
7
|
Reports, 1993-1996
|
|
|
Box
2
Folder
5
|
Ribbons, 1878-1943, undated
|
|
|
Box
2
|
Scrapbook, 1880-1913
1 volume
|
|
|
Television Shows
|
|
|
Box
6-9
|
4th Street Forum, 2002-2005
34 VHS tapes
|
|
|
Box
9
|
Institute for Wisconsin's Future: Unequal and in Jeopardy,
undated
1 VHS tape
|
|
|
Box
9
|
Shepard Express Live #4-tape 33300, March
2022
1 VHS tape
|
|
|
Box
9
|
Wisconsin's School Funding Crisis: A Threat to our Children's
Future, March 2001
1 VHS tape
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
8
|
Turner Hall Restoration, 1986-1999
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
9
|
"Turners and Social Democrats in Milwaukee" by Horst Ueberhorst,
1983
|
|
|
Box
5
Folder
10
|
Zeidler, Frank P., 1981-1996
|
|
Index to 4th Street Forum Episodes
|
Number
|
Title
|
Date
|
Box
|
| |
State role in financing public schools |
10/16/2002 |
6 |
| 102 |
Future of criminal justice is WISC |
10/18/2002 |
6 |
| 103 |
Promote affordable health care |
10/18/2002 |
6 |
| 104 |
Does public assistance move people out |
10/18/2002 |
6 |
| 105 |
Can we create a competitive workforce? |
10/21/2002 |
6 |
| 106 |
Future of transportation in SE WIS |
10/21/2002 |
6 |
| 107 |
How do we resolve the budget deficit? |
10/21/2002 |
6 |
| 108 |
Tax policy:who pays? |
10/28/2002 |
6 |
| 109 |
Campaign finance: free speech fair elections |
11/4/2002 |
6 |
| 110 |
What do the election results tell us |
11/11/2002 |
6 |
| 111 |
Where we are, how did we get here |
11/14/2002 |
6 |
| 112 |
Power the future |
11/21/2002 |
7 |
| 113 |
Alt energy sources: what are our choices |
12/23/2002 |
7 |
| 114 |
Energy policy |
12/23/2002 |
7 |
| 115 |
Criminal justice #1 |
2/6/2003 |
7 |
| 116 |
Criminal justice #2 |
2/13/2003 |
7 |
| 117 |
Criminal justice #3 |
2/20/2003 |
7 |
| 118 |
Criminal justice #4 |
2/20/2003 |
7 |
| 119 |
Testing & accountability |
3/20/2003 |
7 |
| 120 |
Urban education |
3/27/2003 |
7 |
| 121 |
Poverty: causes/class |
4/3/2003 |
7 |
| 122 |
Poverty: social contract |
4/11/2003 |
7 |
| 123 |
Poverty & housing |
4/17/2003 |
8 |
| 124 |
Breaking the cycle of poverty: employment |
4/24/2003 |
8 |
| |
Water, the commodity: who owns? sells? |
5/8/2003 |
8 |
| |
Water #IV |
5/22/2003 |
8 |
| 126 |
Water #V |
5/29/2003 |
8 |
| 201 |
Right or privilege? |
10/2/2003 |
8 |
| 202 |
(FHC) the industry: who benefits? |
10/9/2003 |
8 |
| 203 |
(FHC) a system or chaos? |
10/16/2003 |
8 |
| 205 |
Fixing health care |
10/30/2003 |
8 |
| 206 |
(FHC) politics & ideals |
11/6/2003 |
8 |
| |
Tax freeze city-county consequences |
11/20/2003 |
8 |
| |
What should we expect from Government? |
1/8/2004 |
9 |
| |
Countdown-who goes to Washington |
10/28/2004 |
9 |
| |
Jailhouse Wisconsin |
11/11/2004 |
9 |
| |
Sacred choices & abortion |
7/19/2005 |
9 |
|
