The collection consists of the records of both the Appleton Chamber of Commerce Association and the Appleton Downtown Retail Association. Each of these organizations has compiled its minutes and financial and other records into Yearbooks for fiscal years running from April through March. The last three Yearbooks of the Appleton Downtown Retail Association deviate from this precedent somewhat as the end of their fiscal year was changed in 1962 to September, and then to August the following year. Each volume (Yearbook) usually contains the minutes of board of directors meetings, committee meetings and the general meetings for one year; as well as monthly and annual financial reports, general reports, correspondence, and clippings.
The forty-seven volumes of Appleton Chamber of Commerce Association Yearbooks cover the years 1920 through 1967, lacking one year, April 1965 through March 1966. Included is one Yearbook dated considerably earlier than the others, containing the earliest records of the organization from August 1874 through March 1876. The April 1964-March 1965 Yearbook contains only board of directors minutes, and the April 1966-March 1967 volume has committee reports only.
The Appleton Downtown Retail Association Yearbooks are in six volumes for the years April 1959 through August 1966. There are no records for the 1964-1965 year. Before 1959 records of the Appleton Downtown Retail Association were bound with the Appleton Chamber of Commerce Association records.
