Milwaukee Public Library Rare Books Room

Lydia Ely and "The Autograph Book"

Lydia D. Ely (1833-1914) is a woman from Milwaukee’s past whose accomplishments are untold and mostly forgotten. Well, not any longer. Join us at the Rare Books Room of the Milwaukee Central Public Library to learn about Lydia and her contributions to Milwaukee history. You’ll then view one of Milwaukee’s largest and rarest books, “The Autograph Book,” that Lydia created between 1896 and 1898. Just imagine viewing an enormous book that weighs 50 pounds and contains over 2,800 autographs of notable Americans of that period — authors, musicians, politicians, scientists, artists and more! This is truly a rare opportunity for you to not only hear Lydia’s story, but also to see her remarkable book at this session presented by Anita Pietrykowski, Forest Home Cemetery historical educator, and Timothy Rush, Rare Books Librarian.