August J. Shoenebeck, a curator at the Milwaukee Public Museum, and others collected the eggs from the 1870's into the early 1900's. Date, location and habitat notes were recorded for most species, making them scientifically valuable. Monsignor Julius Chylinski, chaplin at St. Joseph's Provincial Convent and later pastor at St. Peter's church, convinced Shoenebeck that the Sisters of St. Joseph would be the best curators of the egg collection. The entire collection was brought to St. Joseph's Academy in 1923 and cared for by Sister Mary Alexia. In 1941 Sister Alexia compiled a catalog of the egg collection from Shoenebeck's original notes. The Sister's of St. Joseph donated the egg collection and specimens of mounted birds to the Museum of Natural History in 1970. The eggs remained in their original cotton filled boxes until 1995 when they were moved to the current exhibit. Common and scientific bird names were updated at this time.