The Fourth and Fifth District of the Wisconsin State Nurses Association was organized and incorporated in 1912 as the Milwaukee County Nurses Association. The original purpose of the association was to advance the educational and moral standing of the nursing profession in Milwaukee County by extending state registration of nurses, providing a forum for discussions among nurses, preparing nurses for the duties, and promoting standards and ethics. The Milwaukee County Nurses Association affiliated with the Wisconsin State Nurses Association in 1915, and in 1916, it established a headquarters office and club at 1028 Van Burn Street. Changes in the constitution and by-laws of the Wisconsin State Nurses Association in 1918 required reorganization pf the Milwaukee County Nurses Association in the Fourth and Fifth District of the WSNA (also known as he Milwaukee District Nurses Association).
The Wisconsin Nurses Club and Directory was organized in 1919 and merged with the Milwaukee District Nurses Association in 1928. Some of the objectives of this organization were similar to those of the Nurses Association, but the Club's goals also included developing a directory of nurses in Milwaukee County and securing of a building to serve as a clubhouse and home for nurses. In 1923, Charles E. Ray, a pioneer Milwaukee banker and grain commission merchant, donated his home at 1410 North Prospect Avenue to the club in memory of his wife, Jane Merrill Ray. At that time the property was valued at 96,000 dollars. After extensive repairs and improvements, the Nurses Club and Directory moved their headquarters to the Ray mansion in early 1924. Following amalgamation of the Milwaukee Nurses Club and Directory and the Milwaukee District Nurses Association in March 1928, the Club's property was transferred to the Association, and a board of five trustees was established to administer it.
Shortly after the merger of the two nurses' associations, the Nurses Association received notice that their property had been on the tax assessment rolls from 1924 to 1928. In order to meet the indebtedness for accumulated taxes and interest, the Association raised a 20,000 dollar mortgage in 1929. By this time the expenses of operating and maintaining of the large headquarters began to cause financial burdens. Due to the severe financial depression, it became impractical by 1931 to operate the mansion, and the headquarters moved to remodeled stables on the back of the property. The property was sold in 1945 for 27,000 dollars and the headquarters of the Association moved to 622 North Street.
The Milwaukee District Nurses Association kept a registry of professional nurses in the Milwaukee area and served as a placement office. Nurses were divided in to sections based on the type of nursing in which they were involved, including general duty, industrial, institutional, private duty, and public health nursing. The Association also had a variety of committees that promoted the regular activities of the Association and organized special events and activities. The Association also took an active interest in promoting legislation of concern to nurses, organizing educational programs, and sponsoring social gatherings for nurses.
