Here Are Several Historic Photos Of Milwaukee And They’re Incredible

Milwaukee is dedicated to keeping our history alive. Thanks to a large catalog of historic Milwaukee photos, we can view today what our city looked like many years ago. Brew City's roots run far back into Wisconsin history, but you can still see glimpses of our past to this day - as these old pictures of Milwaukee will demonstrate.

1. 1876: The Mitchell Building, which is said to have housed Milwaukee's first mayor.

2. 1880: The Leif Ericsson statue in Juneau Park.

3. 1890: A view of the harbor, as beautiful as ever.

4. 1890: A sight of Pabst Brewery.

5. 1890: A view down the Milwaukee River from Wisconsin Street (now Wisconsin Avenue).

6. 1900: Wisconsin Street. You can see the Pabst building!

7. 1900: Horse-drawn delivery trucks used to transport beer for Schlitz Brewery.

8. 1901: City Hall stands tall above the rest of the skyline.

9. 1901: The Pfister Hotel (that we all know to be haunted) in its prime.

10. 1901: The Central Public Library shortly after it was established in 1899.

11. 1914: The Milwaukee Turnverein gymnasium, now known as Turner Hall, is still fully operating as a gym and acts as a concert venue.

12. 1936: Residential houses on the north side.

13. 1939: The drawbridges that hold up traffic today were just as frustrating to drivers in the 30s.

14. 1939: The Courthouse stands tall.

15. 1952: Milwaukee War Memorial, pre-Art Museum.

16. 1964: Milwaukee's east side booming with business.

Poring over these historic Milwaukee photos is like stepping into a time machine and exploring the roots of our city and our state. Did you imagine that this is how Milwaukee used to look? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.