Museum Talk

I've been sorting the newspaper clippings part of the Archive and came across some information I'd forgotten. So, today we get another of my infrequent discussions of the Milwaukee Public Museum!

For the record, I didn't uncover most of this information on my own. It's been collected from the 'Streets of Old Milwaukee' audiotour as well as different articles from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Some of this is just memories I'm pulling from my head. I'd probably do even better but I haven't been there in a couple months.

- The material that makes up the street in the exhibit was from an actual Milwaukee street in the late 1800s. It was named Buffalo St and was on the east side.

- The telephone poles in the exhibit are wrapped in wire. This is to prevent horses from chewing on them.

- Granny's house is at the first corner you come to in the exhibit. The card in her window is flipped from 25 to 50. This is to indicate how many pounds of ice she wants for her icebox. She has gone up to 50 because her granddaughter is currently staying with her.

- Above the optometrist's office is an apartment decked out in a lot of red. It belongs to a *cough* lady of the evening. This apartment is a replica of a room from one of Miss Kitty's (not a Gunsmoke reference, that was the madam's name) two establishments. While it's clearly a lady's bedroom from most of the decorations, a man's hat hangs from the hatstand. Saucy!

- While you're on the balcony, peering into the apartment, turn around and check out the photographer's studio behind you. The photographer's camera may flash at you. I say 'may' because it doesn't seem to always be turned on.

- At one point in my youth, there was a 'telephone' attached to the wall just past Granny's house and near the optometrist. Picking up the phone let you listen to a 'conversation' discussing events of the day and how shockingly high prices have become. According to the video I around late 1992/early 1993, it was gone by then.

- Down past the tavern and the restaurant, near the pharmacy, sits a phone booth. I remember this having a policeman in it, making a call. He's been gone for awhile now. I kinda miss him.

Looks like I'm going again next week. You have been warned. :) Now where's that video I took from this summer?