It is my hope that by highlighting the rich history of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society our membership and the general public will appreciate what has happened to make the society and its observatory what it is today. I have now been a member of the MAS for 44 years so I have experienced quite a bit of that history first hand. However, that is only half of the full span, 88 years as of 2020.

The whole section has been under nearly constant updating over the past several years as I have uncovered new documents and photos. I have a whole section devoted to the timeline of the society from its inception in 1932 to 1977. But I have also started writing biographies of a few of the most important MAS members and a history of our most significant instrument, the Edward A. Halbach Telescope which is now 86 years old as of 2020. Sometimes a specific focus makes for a more detailed account.

I cannot stress enough that I value any comments, corrections, additions to any of the sections.

History of the MAS

If you're interested in a fairly comprehensive history of the Milwaukee Astronomical Society from its very beginnings back in 1932, we have it here presented in various time periods, currently through 1977. There are many pictures and slideshows along with stories about them. We hope that you get a real sense of how special our club really is and how it is all rooted in what has happened in the past. Click here to read about it. 
  

MAS Newsletters

A rich source of our club's history can be found in the newsletters of the MAS through the years. We have scanned all of them going back to 1934. Click here to see them.
  

Photos Thru the Decades

Our collection of historic photos is currently organized by decade.

• 1932-1939
• 1940-1949
• 1950-1959
• 1960-1969
• 1970-1979
• 1980-1989
• 1990-1999
• 2000-2009
• 2010-2019

Historic Members

We have one general gallery of some of the past members of the MAS, a list of all of our officers and Founder members, and currently 4 in depth biographies of some of the most significant members of our society.

• Members
• Officers & Founders
• Luverne Armfield
• Ed Halbach
• Bill Albrecht
• Ralph Buckstaff

Ongoing History

Though it might go without saying, our MAS history is ongoing. If you have any MAS related photographs past or present, we would appreciate receiving them so they may be included. For anything already digitized, please email them to the webmaster.  If you need them scanned, please contact the webmaster who will get that done and return the materials.