Records of the American Society of Civil Engineers - Wisconsin Section, including meeting minutes, annual reports, subject files, committee records, annual awards, affiliates, conferences and annual meetings, newsletters, yearbooks, published histories, photographs, and the association's website.

Donated by the American Society of Civil Engineers - Wisconsin Section, 1987; additions donated by the section 1994-2001.  Processed by Matt Blessing, Heidi Braunschweig, and McKayla Sutton in 2011.

Digital Content: This collection was digitized by the ASCE-WI in 2022.  Digital file structure mirrors the structure of the inventory below.  For access to digital files please contact the archives.

Historical Note

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was founded in 1852 as a technical and professional organization. The national structure of ASCE supported geographical divisions of the organization known as Zones, Districts, Local Sections, and Branches, which were responsible for holding local meetings, organizing activities, and disseminating information and materials to members. Initially founded in 1923 as the Milwaukee Section by several members of the national ASCE, the local section changed its name to the Wisconsin Section upon amending the Constitution and Bylaws in 1938. In addition to its affiliation with Zone III, the Section also sent delegates to participate in the District 7 Council until 1982 when redistricting initiated a move to District 8. In order to increase local participation, the Wisconsin Section organized four branches: Madison (founded 1962, renamed Southwest in 1995), Fox River Valley (1966), Northwest (1974), and Southeast (1977). Along with the Younger Member Forum (1988) for members under the age of 35, the Section also worked with five student chapters: University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette University, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The Wisconsin Section continues to be active and established a website in 2000 to keep members updated on upcoming events, current officers, and branch news.

Scope and Content

Series 1, Board of Directors, 1957-1999, is composed of minutes of meetings, constitutions, and bylaws for the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin Section, District 7, District 8, and Younger Member Forum. It is arranged in chronological order by subject.

Series 2, Annual Reports, 1958-1998, contains the annual reports for the Wisconsin Section, arranged chronologically. Some annual reports for Student Sections are included here and are arranged alphabetically by university name.

Series 3, Administrative Subject Files, 1962-1998, includes administrative manuals, records related to affiliates, contact information, and miscellaneous files associated with the organization, arranged alphabetically first by subject and then by title.

Series 4, Committees, 1958-1998, is divided into two major categories which cover awards and various committees. Winning entries for the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award are especially well documented. Awards are arranged alphabetically by title and chronologically thereunder. Committees are arranged alphabetically by committee name.

Series 5, Conferences, 1962-2000, consists of major conferences attended by members of the Wisconsin Section, including annual meetings, Spring Technical Conferences, and Zone III Management Meetings. This series is arranged in chronological order with annual conferences grouped by title.

Series 6, Publications, 1948-2001, documents newsletters, histories, yearbooks, and other related publications related to the Wisconsin Section of ASCE. The History and Heritage Committee compiled data on several major projects and engineers, which is arranged in this series according to the index formulated by the committee. Yearbooks are particularly rich in data about officers, members, committees, award winners, constitutions, and bylaws. This series is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series 7, Photographic Material, 1957-1995, includes photographs and 35mm slides related to annual meetings, conferences, and engineering projects. The series is arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series 8, Southeast Branch, 1956-1999, contains fragmentary records, including meeting minutes, administrative subject files, and newsletters for the Southeast Branch of the Wisconsin Section, arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series 9, Fox River Valley Branch, 1965-1999, contains fragmentary records, including meeting minutes, administrative subject files, and newsletters for the Fox River Valley Branch of the Wisconsin Section, arranged alphabetically by subject and chronologically thereunder.

Series 10, Website, 2011- The ASCE-WI website features electronic access to recent newsletters, yearbooks, section and branch histories, listings of elected officers and award recipients, and select administrative records. Beginning in March 2011 the Marquette Archives began capturing the website semi-annually.