Highlights Archives
Historic Preservation & Archaeology Month
May is Historic Preservation and Archaeology Month, a time to showcase Wisconsin's diverse and unique heritage. In communities all over Wisconsin, local historical societies, museums, public libraries and other institutions use this month-long celebration to highlight the important role historic preservation plays in protecting our state's past. The theme for this year's celebration is "Making Preservation Work," and you can find more than 50 ways to celebrate Wisconsin's 12,000 years of history in our online calendar. There is an event for everyone to enjoy, from walking tours, exhibits, and hands-on activities to awards ceremonies and photo contests.
 An archaeologist records a centuries-old Native American site in western Wisconsin. A particularly unique event that will celebrate archaeology and the life of one of the 20th century's most famous explorers, Beloit native Roy Chapman Andrews, will be held at the Wisconsin Historical Museum on Thursday, May 10. Andrews, said to have been the inspiration for the Hollywood character "Indiana Jones," is best remembered for his expeditions of previously unexplored regions of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia from 1922 to 1930. In keeping with the Mongolian theme, the museum will serve a catered Chinese dinner followed by a presentation by award-winning author Ann Bausum on The Lucky Star of Roy Chapman Andrews, including how he went from sweeping the floors of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City in 1906 to becoming its director in 1934. Bausum wrote a children's book about Andrews' adventures in Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, which won several prestigious awards.
There is still time to add your event to the calendar. To submit your Historic Preservation and Archaeology Month event to our event calendar, please contact us at the Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706, by telephone at 608-264-6493 or via email. You can also submit events using our online form.
Historic preservation celebrates the role of history in our everyday lives by calling attention to the contributions many people have made in helping to preserve the places and spaces that have shaped Wisconsin's past. Learn more about Wisconsin's archaeological, architectural and historical legacy from the Society's Historic Preservation Office.
:: Posted May 4, 2007
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