CEDARBURG, Wis. — As the Milwaukee Brewers celebrate the first World Series title in franchise history, rare and rarely seen film footage at the Cedarburg History Museum is connecting baseball fans across generations.
At the center of it is museum curator Joel Willems, who has spent hours digitizing donated film footage from a Milwaukee family that captured the city's earlier baseball eras.
TMJ4 News reporter Alex Gaul has the story in the video below:
Among the reels is footage of games at Borchert Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers of the minor league American Association from 1902 to 1952 — long before American Family Field and County Stadium were even built.
"I think there's only maybe in total, seven or eight games, of Borchert Field (on video)," Willems said.
The collection includes footage from 1936, when the Brewers took home a league pennant, as well as Game Four of the 1957 World Series — the Braves' only championship before the team left for Atlanta.
For Willems, the project is personal. His grandfather was a longtime season ticket holder, and his mother was a devoted baseball fan. He was 6 years old when the Brewers won the 1982 pennant and lost the World Series.
"It's just a rare opportunity to see the baseball back then meant just as much for the people," Willems said. "(They're) getting excited at every hit, any run."
"You're crying. You're cheering. You're excited. Even if you are not playing in that game," Willems said. "Beer, brats, baseball, that's all you need."
Without the Brewers and the Braves, Willems noted, there would be no Brew Crew.
The Brewers winning the 2026 World Series is just the latest chapter in the city's storied baseball history.
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