Highlights Archives
The Year in Review — 2007
A Message from Ellsworth Brown, The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society
I would like to share with you the major events, programs, exhibits and activities of 2007 and of which we are particularly proud.
Leading the Way
Longtime Wisconsin Historical Society supporters Ruth and Hartley Barker made a significant and historic financial commitment to the Society's future this past year. Their $2.5 million gift endows the Society's directorship, which has been named The Ruth and Hartley Barker Director of the Wisconsin Historical Society. I am honored to serve as the first Ruth and Hartley Barker Director. Their generous gift will not only support the Society's mission, but will also encourage others to recognize and sustain its important work.
Ruth and Hartley's act is part of a long and selfless Wisconsin tradition that is sometimes quiet and unnoticed, at other times celebrated, but always evident. In the Barkers' case, this is not their first gift. They continue to be leading annual fund donors as well as contributors of their time. This kind of support, as well as the assistance we receive from many of you, is necessary to the success of this wonderful agency. State funds comprise only 60 percent of our annual budget of $21.7 million. The rest comes from grants, earned income, and the gifts of friends, members and corporations that believe in our mission.
A Banner Season at Wisconsin's Historic Sites
At the end of the 2007 season, it became apparent that public interest in experiencing Wisconsin history firsthand is on the rise. Across our entire statewide network of 10 historic sites, total attendance rose 12 percent compared to the same time period in 2006, while earned revenue rose more than 7 percent. Reed School, which became Wisconsin's newest historic site, has seen a nonstop flow of visitors since its grand opening and dedication on June 10. The 2007 season at Wade House saw the largest attendance increase of all the sites at nearly 21 percent. This year's Civil War Weekend in September was one of the most successful in the event's 17-year history, with more than 8,200 visitors and re-enactors in attendance.
The largest of the historic sites, Old World Wisconsin, showed 3-percent overall growth in attendance and 9-percent growth in earned revenues. We are also delighted that Dawn St. George accepted our offer to serve as Old World Wisconsin's new executive director, beginning her new duties in September. She brings to the job strong leadership skills, an excellent track record in educational programming, and demonstrated experience in strategic planning. She previously served as director of education at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
World Series Wisconsin
Attendance also rose at the Wisconsin Historical Museum, improving by 6.2 percent this year. Visitors to the museum were able to relive the excitement of the zenith years of Milwaukee's champion baseball teams at the unique exhibit World Series Wisconsin. This exhibition marked the 50th anniversary of the Milwaukee Braves' World Series victory and the 25th anniversary of the Milwaukee Brewers' American League pennant win. Included are dozens of authentic, game-used objects — jerseys, jackets, caps, helmets, bats, balls, gloves, spikes and more — many of them from the peak seasons of 1957 and 1982. Many of the exhibited items were actually worn and used by such baseball greats as Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Red Schoendienst, and Warren Spahn of the Braves, and Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, and Robin Yount of the Brewers.
Wisconsin Historical Foundation 2006-2007 Fundraising Results
I am pleased to announce the Wisconsin Historical Foundation's results from its most successful year ever since hiring its first staff member in July 1998. Between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, the Foundation raised $9,198,230 in support of the Wisconsin Historical Society, up from $3,223,796 the year before. That figure includes Ruth and Hartley Barker's $2.5 million gift. I sincerely thank the nearly 13,000 friends who made contributions for the benefit of the Wisconsin Historical Society during the 2006-2007 fiscal years. I also thank our Foundation colleagues for their partnership in these endeavors and for their assistance in helping our supporters reach their own philanthropic goals.
Renovation of the Society's Grand Library Reading Room
The big news in June was the State Building Commission's approval of $2.1 million to renovate the Society's wonderful reading room on the second floor of our headquarters building located on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The building commission's action was based on recommendations by the architectural firm Uihlein-Wilson, for whom a historic structures report was prepared by the firm of Cornerstone Preservation. The state selected Isthmus Architects to implement the work, which will proceed over the coming year. The renovation was prompted by physical needs: obsolete ceiling lamps for which parts are no longer available; peeling paint; an unsightly ceiling; worn-out carpet; and several generations of furniture not designed for the role they are asked to play today. The renovation will restore the elegant room to its former glory, and possibly beyond.
Major Step Taken Toward a Much-Needed Offsite Collection Storage Facility
In October the Legislature and Governor Doyle approved a state budget containing a $10 million appropriation that brings to $25 million the funding available for construction of an offsite collection storage facility that would house collections held by both the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. In addition, the budget appropriated $3.25 million for shelving in the facility for use by the Society. The facility would allow the Society to move its vast museum artifact collections from cramped quarters in the Society's headquarters building to a new, modern facility, and possibly as much as half of its library and archival collections.
National History Day
Thursday, June 14, was an exciting day this year for the 2007 Wisconsin delegation at National History Day competition in College Park, Maryland. Our Wisconsin students witnessed Cody Haro, a junior from Holmen High School, bring home first place in the nation for his senior individual exhibit titled "The Abraham Lincoln Battalion." Two additional Wisconsin students were recognized for their projects with outstanding state awards. Mallory Durlauf of Madison received the award for her junior paper, "Mr. President: How Long Must Women Wait for Liberty?" and Lynn Zabel of Lancaster was recognized for her senior individual performance, "Ellis Island: The Little Island Filled with Big Dreams." We are proud to be the organizer, administrator and major sponsor of National History Day in Wisconsin. Our thanks goes to Sarah Clement, our state coordinator, and to all of the students, teachers and parents for making this contest a success!
Private Soldiers: A Year in Iraq with a Wisconsin National Guard Unit
The Wisconsin Historical Society Press published a timely and relevant firsthand account of soldiers' lives this year. Private Soldiers: A Year in Iraq with a Wisconsin National Guard Unit was written and photographed by three members of the 2-127th Infantry Battalion. The publication helps readers understand war's human side as it honors Wisconsin's participants in the Iraq war. Fascinating soldier interviews reveal the effects of deployment on the troops and on their families back home, and interviews with Iraqi civilians describe the Iraqis' perceptions of life, war, and working alongside Wisconsin troops. All royalties from sales of this book will go to the 2-127th's family support groups and to funds established in memoriam of the battalion members who gave their lives in the Iraq war.
Second Annual Wisconsin History Makers Gala
On Wednesday, May 9, 2007, I was thrilled to join more than 500 people who were entertained and inspired at our Second Annual Wisconsin History Makers Gala. We saluted the lifetime achievements of five extraordinary individuals at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Conservationist George Archibald, business leader Oscar C. Boldt, American Indian leader and civil rights activist Ada Deer, hockey champion Mark Johnson, and inventor and entrepreneur John C. Koss were recognized for their historic and continued contributions to society. Each received an award named after a famed Wisconsinite in their area of expertise. The 2008 Wisconsin History Makers Gala will take place May 14, once again at The Pfister. Save the date and join us for another history-making event!
Wisconsin Public Television Partnership
Telling the history of Wisconsin one town at a time, "Wisconsin Hometown Stories: Green Bay" premiered on Wisconsin Public Television on November 12, telling the story of Wisconsin's oldest city from the lives of the area's original inhabitants and the arrival of European explorers to immigration, natural resources, city politics, and the Green Bay Packers. Residents of the Green Bay area were invited to attend a public screening of the program on November 7 at Green Bay's Meyer Theatre. This is the second in a series of "Wisconsin Hometown Stories" (Janesville was the first), on which the Society collaborates as a Wisconsin Public Television partner.
The Society also partnered with Wisconsin Public Television to produce "Fill 'er Up: The Glory days of Wisconsin Gas Stations," a documentary that takes a look at vintage gas stations as icons of architecture, economics and pop culture. "Fill 'er Up" travels throughout Wisconsin to profile a number of historically significant gas stations — unique buildings that changed the way we live and have become symbols of various stages of the automotive age.
In Conclusion
We wish we had the space to recount the thousands of discoveries, some large and many small, that visitors and researchers have made during the year. We would like to recognize the thousands of hours of work and the loyalty, mutual respect, and customer-focused service of our staff. We would like to acknowledge as well the volunteer leadership of the Society's governing Board of Curators, the Wisconsin Historical Foundation's Board of Directors, and the long list of volunteers whose site-specific support groups helps make our historic sites a success. And we would like to say that these highlights are but evidence of a productive and exciting year at the Society that involves many projects and many routine tasks that make the whole what it is.
Mostly, though, we want you to know how much we enjoy sharing stories about the people, events, and places that comprise our common heritage. Thank you for your participation and your support!
:: Posted January 4, 2008
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