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Guide to the Library League of La Crosse Records, 1990-1998 MSS 014

Guide to the Library League of La Crosse Records, 1990-1998

MSS 014

Summary Information

Abstract
The Library League of La Crosse was founded in 1990 to help raise funds though a Christmas home tour to benefit the La Crosse Public Library. The non-profit organization dissolved in 1998.

The collection includes meeting minutes (1990-1998), publicity materials and photographs of the various home tours of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Collection Title
Library League of La Crosse Records
Date of Materials
1990-1998
Creator
Library League of La Crosse (La Crosse, Wis.).
Call Number
MSS 014
Amount
0.8 cubic feet
Physical Description
2 archives boxes
Language of Materials
English
Repository
La Crosse Public Library Archives

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Library League of La Crosse Records, MSS 014, La Crosse Public Library Archives, La Crosse, WI

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Historical Note

The project began in the summer of 1990 when Mariel Carlisle and Hayden Hauser approached the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse with the idea for a Christmas Home Tour such as the one Winona has each year to benefit its historical society. The Preservation Alliance decided that the hours of work and number of people required to organize such an event was too much for their small organization to handle. Hayden Hauser, Sue Gelatt and Mariel Carlisle then approached James White, director of the La Crosse Public Library, about the possibility of sponsoring the tour. He and the library board agreed.

Meetings were first held at the library and later at Ms. Carlisle's home to launch the project. Six homeowners agreed to show the first floor of their home decorated for Christmas. Through a lot of hard work and planning, the first tour was a success. Over $8200 was taken in from receipts. The money raised has been put toward many different items over the years: children's furniture, a big screen TV-VCR player, and computer furniture.

The tour was a yearly tradition until the last tour on Dec. 6, 1997. When turnout was low for the 1996 and 1997 tours, the Library League raised funds by running a concession stand at the Deke Slayton Airfest, June 19-21, 1998. This was the last fundraiser sponsored by the Library League.

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Scope and Contents note

The collection consists of meeting minutes and publicity of the tours 1990-1997. Photographs are available of some of the homes featured on the tours from 1990-1992, 1995, and 1997. No photographs are available for homes featured on the 1993-1994 and 1996 tours. A VHS video tape of news coverage for the 1991 tour is also in the collection.

Some meeting minutes, information on distribution of Library League funds, and membership lists are available for 1998.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

La Crosse Public Library Archives 2001 June

800 Main St.
La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54601
(608) 789-7136
archives@lacrosselibrary.org

Access to Materials

Materials in this collection are available for patron use.

Acquisitions Information

(Accession No. 1999.007) Additionally, Archives regularly received minutes from the organization until its dissolution.

Processing Information

Processed by Anita Taylor Doering, Dec. 1992; Dec. 1997; additions processed by Christine Stolz, June 2001.

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Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • Library League of La Crosse (La Crosse, Wis.).

Geographic Name(s)

  • La Crosse (Wis.)--Societies, etc.

Subject(s)

  • Home tours--Wisconsin--La Crosse

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OCLC Number

47706646

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Collection Inventory

Box Folder

By-laws, 1991-1996 

1 2

Origins and history 

1 1

Minutes, 1998-1999 

2 17

First Tour, 1990 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

1 3

Photographs of homes 

Box Folder

Gathering Facility (Coach House) 

1 4

128 South 14th (Born) 

1 5

208 South 15th (Gelatt) 

1 6

217 South 15th (Vollmer) 

1 7

1419 Cass (Carlisle) 

1 8

1514 King (Garrity-Gokey) 

1 9

1525 Main (Smerud) 

1 10

Second Tour, 1991 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

1 11

Newscast coverage   VHS cassette; runtime unknown

1 12

Photographs of homes 

Box Folder

404 South 15th (Arneson) 

1 13

1434 Cass (Mills) 

1 14

1601 Cass (Living Word Christian Church) 

1 15

1602 Cass (Guzman) 

1 16

1518 Madison (Fischer) 

1 17

1524 Madison (Draper) 

1 18

Third Tour, 1992 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

1 19

Photographs of homes 

Box Folder

147 South 13th (Sherwood) 

1 20

125 South 16th (Hartigan) 

1 21

204 South 19th (Hoffmann) 

1 22

1511 Main (Leehey) 

1 23

1522 Main (Severson) 

1 24

1611 Main (Doering) 

1 25

Fourth Tour, 1993 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

2 1

Fifth Tour, 1994 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

2 2

Sixth Tour, 1995 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

2 3

Photographs of homes 

Box Folder

142 South 14th (Miller) 

2 4

410 South 14th (Quinlisk) 

2 5

111 South 17th Place (Kerrigan) 

2 6

1419 Cass (Carlisle) 

2 7

1402 King (Hauser) 

2 8

Seventh Tour, 1996 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

2 9

Eighth Tour, 1997 

Box Folder

Minutes and publicity 

2 10

Photographs of homes 

Box Folder

323 South 20th (Gundersen) 

2 11

1733 Cameron (Williams) 

2 12

2515 Cass (Stewart-Schuning) 

2 13

1218 Madison (Sandlebeck) 

2 14

1420 Madison (Florine) 

2 15

819 West Ave South (Gushiken) 

2 16