Explore Our Collections

Online Collections

Click on a link below to see the collection overview page. Use that as a starting point for your research.

• 1964 Freedom Summer Project

  Browse or search over 30,000 original documents from Freedom Summer, an effort by civil rights activists to integrate Mississippi's segregated political system.

• American Journeys

  A digital library and learning center containing eyewitness accounts of early American exploration and settlement.

• Henry and Elizabeth Baird Collection

  The papers of Elizabeth and Henry Baird from 1798 to 1937, prominent 19th-century Wisconsin settlers.

• Increase A. Lapham Papers

  The papers of Wisconsin's premier scientist are coming online during 2015 and 2016. Lapham (1811-1875) was a biologist, archaeologist, engineer, and map-maker who helped found several major state institutions and the National Weather Service.

• Lizzie Black Kander Papers

  View the papers of Kander (1858-1940), sometimes called "The Jane Addams of Milwaukee," including reports, correspondence, brochures, clippings, minutes of meetings, photographs and materials related to "The Settlement Cookbook".

• Local and County Histories

  Detailed accounts of individual cities, townships, villages, prominent residents from 1850-1920.

• Maps and Atlases

  More than 25,000 maps and atlases. Many focus on Wisconsin, the Great Lakes and North America. Most predate 1900.

• McCormick - International Harvester Collection

  Original documents and publications about the history of Cyrus Hall McCormick and the International Harvester Company.

• Museum Collections

  The Wisconsin Historical Museum contains over 110,000 historical objects and nearly 400,000 archaeological artifacts documenting the history of Wisconsin from prehistoric times to the present. Browse selected subjects from the Wisconsin Historical Museum collections.

• National Register and State Register of Historic Places

  Both registers include buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are designated as significant in national, state or local history. More than 2,300 listings are searchable on our website. Each listing has a digital record providing basic information about the property.

• Oral Histories: Wisconsin Survivors of the Holocaust

  Hear the stories of 22 Holocaust Survivors and two American witnesses interviewed between 1974 and 1981.

• Senator William Proxmire Collection

  Explore more than 7,500 pages of articles, press releases, and photos, plus 40 oral history interviews.

• Turning Points in Wisconsin History

  Articles, images, books, manuscripts, and other eyewitness accounts of key historical events of Wisconsin's history. Includes essays, lesson plans and reference tools for teachers.

• Visual Materials in Our Collections (includes formerly named Wisconsin Historical Images)

  Browse or search over 75,000 digitized photos, drawings, paintings, topical galleries and other materials. Learn how you can access over 3 million images in our physical collections.

• Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory Collection (AHI)

  Provides details on more than 133,000 historic buildings, structures and objects that reflect Wisconsin's distinct cultural landscape. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property. Most include exterior images.

• Wisconsin Coastal History

  Examine historical documents on the human and environmental history of Lakes Michigan and Superior, particularly their physical geography, ports, harbos, and business activities (collection in progress).

• Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database

  Contains examples of furniture, ceramics, textiles, and other 19th and early 20th century material culture artifacts from museum and historic site collections across Wisconsin.

• Wisconsin Historical Collections 1855- 1915

  Thousands of pioneer memoirs, archival records, original journals, explorers' narratives, interviews, and other eyewitness accounts of Wisconsin's past.

• Wisconsin Historical Society Web Archives

  Online archive of selected websites of state agencies, local governments, political campaigns for gubernatorial or U.S. Senate races, topical issues and online publications.

• Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles

  16,000 historical and biographical articles that were published between 1860 and 1940 from hundreds of Wisconsin local newspapers.

• Wisconsin Magazine of History Archives

  More than 2,000 feature articles and essays exactly as they originally appeared in the Wisconsin Magazine of History.

• Wisconsin in the Civil War

  Over 25,000 pages of original documents including soldiers' letters, diaries, and memoirs; regimental histories and rosters; photographs, maps, biographies and battle summaries.