Collections

The collection contains materials related to the Waterbury Hospital School of Nursing and its Alumni Association.

The Waterbury Jewish History Collection was donated Gary Broder. Broder was a Waterbury resident very interested in the Jewish history and community in the city. The collection contains various documents and books detailing the Jewish history in Waterbury. Included are photographs, articles, and appreciation certificates of Jewish war veterans, as well as a Proclamation from Mayor Bergen. The collection also includes books and photographs from the Western Connecticut Jewish community center. There are also Jewish publications represented in the collection, including The Chavurah and The Jewish Community Bulletin. There are also two autobiographical accounts from Samuel Chotzinoff and Martin Greenblatt. Lastly, there are many school records from Beth El and other religious schools in Waterbury.

The archivists for the Max R. Traurig Library have collected material regarding the industrialization and modernization of Waterbury. Document types include account books, pamphlets, broadsides, advertisements, administrative records, general summaries by historians, and manuals.

This collection contains ledgers, records, letters, photographs, posters, scrapbooks, and ephemera pertaining to the military history of Waterbury, Connecticut. Major conflicts of the United States from the Revolutionary War to the Korean War are represented with documents from military and civilian life. Waterbury contributed many soldiers to the wars fought by the United States, and the record of their service is reflected in this collection. As a brass manufacturing center, Waterbury's civilians provided critical assistance to the country's ability to wage war.

The postcard collection largely depicts scenes, places, landmarks, and events in Waterbury from 1904 through 1985. There is a small amount of miscellaneous postcards from other towns in Connecticut, as well as national and international postcards.

Record books, None; Probate files, 1779-1945,

This is an artificial collection composed by the archivists at the Mattauck Museum to document the railroad and transportation development in and surrounding Waterbury. The collection is largely paper based, but also includes various tokens used for passage.

The Waterbury Regional Map Collection is divided into 3 series or topics based on location: Waterbury; Connecticut; and Other. A large portion of the maps are rolled, and require advance notice for viewing. The collection contains several maps of Waterbury from 1852, 1909, and 1932 which show how much the landscape of Waterbury has changed. Of interest are the maps which "map" abstract concepts like time, or the celestial heavens.

The first newspaper published in Waterbury, CT was The American on December 14, 1844. Since 1844 Waterbury has had a variety of professional and amateur newspapers. This collection is composed of both professional and amateur newspapers. While the archive does not have a complete run of any one newspaper – the collection has focused on specific events and time periods: the Fire of 1902, the Flood of 1955, and the nineteenth century as examples. The newspaper collection offers an interesting glimpse into both national and local events from the 1840s until today. The collection will have additional accruals in the future.

This artificial collection largely represents records of public and private schools in Waterbury, CT. In addition to materials about K-12 schools, there is also a small amount of material about the local universities. Document types include: newspaper clippings, yearbooks, programs, early tax records, curriculum, student newspapers, student publications, play bills, and academic brochures.